With the invasion of Ukraine officially underway, many in the international community are asking questions about Russian military strength. The country has launched the largest military operation in Europe since World War II. What kind of fight can we expect Russia to put up if countries like the U.S. decide to intervene?

Russian Military Strength: How Powerful Is Russia’s Military?

On paper, Russia has the fourth largest military in the world. Estimates on Russia’s military size in terms of troop count sit somewhere between 900,000 to 1.5 million. After repeated denials that he would invade Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved those troops into various strategic locations along the country’s northern, eastern, and southern fronts in a pincer attack that has already killed at least 137 Ukrainians so far, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the CIA, 40,000 Russian troops are airborne units, while 150,000 are in the Russian Navy. In addition, Russia has 160,000 Strategic Rocket Forces and the same number of Aerospace Forces. Their special operations forces number around 20,000. The total count of additional forces in other categories adds up to 70,000. Russia has a mandatory conscription program as well as volunteer service members. The country also requires men to be registered at 17 and serve as reservists for one year. Pound-for-pound, Russia possesses the world’s second most powerful military. Suggested read: Ukraine and Russia WWI Treaty Casts Large Shadow Amid Current Crisis

Russian Military Strengths and Weaknesses

According to Global Firepower, Russia has 4,173 total aircraft. These include fighters (772), transports (445), and helicopters (1,543). Russia also has 12,420 tanks, 30,122 armored vehicles, and 7,571 towed artillery. This may seem impressive, but when it comes to a potential war involving multiple allies, Russian capabilities beyond its region may be limited. Russia has just a single aircraft carrier, for instance. Those 772 fighters would need to find alternative routes to their destinations, and that’s a massive handicap. But the nation’s naval power beyond its lone carrier is indeed impressive, hosting 15 destroyers and 70 submarines. These submarines are key to any major international conflict, such as a World War III scenario, due to their nuclear missile payloads and difficulty to track. Of all legs in the nuclear triad, it's the submarines that are the most likely to launch a successful nuclear attack. Russia currently holds 6,000 nuclear weapons to America’s 5,500.

Russian Military Spending

Russia currently spends more than $61 billion on its second-ranked military. That number completely overshadows Ukraine’s spending of just $5.9 billion. Russia’s military spending amounts to 4.3% of the country’s GDP. China currently outspends Russia on its own military. The total amount that China spends is more than $240 billion. While Russian military spending ranks third among the top five superpowers, it’s still just a fraction of U.S. military spending.

Who Is Stronger, U.S. Or Russia?

On the subject of America vs Russia, military strength isn’t even a contest. And from spending alone, anyone can parse that out easily. In 2020, the U.S. spent $778.2 billion on the military. This is more than the next eleven countries combined. Together, China, India, Russia, the U.K., Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Japan, South Korea, Italy, and Australia spend a grand total of $761 billion on their respective militaries. The amount of financial resources that America throws toward maintaining its global strategic superiority is twelve times that of Russian military spending. The total U.S. military personnel count is over 1.8 million. U.S. airpower is unmatched (13,247 total aircraft to Russia’s 4,173). America controls the global seas with 11 aircraft carriers, 92 destroyers, and 68 submarines. The other thing to note is just how big the technology gap is between the two global powers. The U.S. military is state of the art, with new tech constantly leaving the assembly line and older equipment being phased out. Russia doesn’t have that luxury, and much of its equipment hails from the 80s, or even the 60s. The serviceability and advancement of its technical capabilities are increasing, though, if you believe Russian official reports. The Russian Defence Ministry has quoted as many as 71% of its equipment is “modern.” The equipment that’s been spotted so far in the invasion of Ukraine has been anything but. So far, it’s fair to say that the measure of military strength between the U.S. and Russia is one-sided. In terms of NATO vs Russia, military strength only gets even more lopsided. As of now, however, the NATO alliance is unwilling to step in to aid Ukraine with physical force of its own. Ukraine is not a member nation. Sanctions on Russia, supplies, and monetary assets for Ukraine are the current strategy from NATO member nations.

Is Russia a Nuclear Threat?

Outside the U.S. and Russia military strength comparisons in pure numbers, both nations possess a significant number of nuclear weapons. Of the estimated 15,000 global nuclear weapons, the U.S. and Russia own 90%. Though Russia holds somewhere around 6,000 nukes, only 1,600 are deployed currently. But that’s still enough. During the 1980s when the concept of nuclear winter was first identified, it was estimated that just 100 nuclear bombs could cause enough dust and soot to blanket the earth and cause a chain reaction that could put a swift end to global society. At the moment, with the international community seeking deterrents beyond physical force, there’s no reason for Putin to consider unleashing his nuclear arsenal. He isn’t desperate – far from it. Right now he’s practically walking a red carpet to his future goal of reuniting the Soviet Union and his ambitions of Tsarist control over Eastern Europe. So, what is Russia’s military strength? Right now, the country’s main strength lies in the fact that NATO member nations don’t seem eager to get involved in its invasion of Ukraine. If Putin doesn’t stop with Ukraine, or casualties become too much for the international community to bear, or if only the Russian people were able to access the real story of what’s happening at their border, beyond what’s being fed to them by Russian state media, then perhaps the pressure would build, and there would be a real test between the U.S. and Russia’s military strength. More like this: Biden To Place US Troops in Eastern Europe Amid Ukraine Buildup