KIEV, Ukraine, March 5 (UPI) -- A Ukrainian Parliament bill, passed Thursday, will increase the size of Ukraine's army from 184,000 to 250,000 troops.
After Defense Minister Petro Mekhed argued the increase was needed for an "anti-terrorist operation" against pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, 270 legislators in Kiev, among 314 present, voted in favor of boosting the military. Serhiy Pashynyskyy, chief of Parliament's national security and defense committee, said the formation of additional combat units would be a priority. The bill will go to President Petro Poroshenko, who is expected to sign it into law.