Russia-Ukraine, a very unequal military confrontation

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the start of an invasion of Ukraine, while his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodimir Zelensky, ordered the general mobilization of Ukrainian troops.

But Russia’s offensive on Ukraine, the world’s second-largest military power, confronts two countries whose military potential is unmatched in terms of number of troops or quantity and quality of weapons and war equipment.

Russia, which integrated into the Soviet Union was consolidated since the end of the Second World War as the great military and nuclear power together with the United States, undertook in 2008 a modernization process that has raised its military capacity to the best moment since its dissolution. of the USSR, according to the 2022 Military Balance of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Ukraine, which gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s after the disappearance of the USSR and its constitution as an independent country, has also improved its defensive forces in recent years, according to the ISSS study. However, its weapons and equipment mostly come from the Soviet era, a heritage that also hampers its important defense industry.

The Ukrainian Army ranks 22nd among the most powerful armies in the Global Fire Power index, a defense consultancy that compiles its index according to numerous variables that include military power, economy, logistical capacity or geography.

The difference between the annual budgets that the two countries allocate to defense gives an idea of ​​the distance of their military power: Russia spends US$154 billion and Ukraine invests US$11 billion, according to this consultancy.

The armies of the two countries

The number of troops available to the Russian Army is more than four times higher than that of Ukraine. Russia has nearly 900,000 active military personnel (280,000 from the Army, 150,000 in the Navy and 165,000 in the Air, to which must be added 130,000 belonging to airborne units and other strategic and special forces, and 180,000 command and support).

Ukraine has about 200,000 troops (125,000 from the ground, 15,000 from the Navy, 35,000 from the Air Force, 20,000 from the airborne units and 1,000 from the special operations forces). To them must be added 100,000 paramilitary and gendarmerie personnel and 900,000 reservists.

According to data from Global Fire Power, Russia’s air force consists of 4,173 aircraft, compared to 318 from Ukraine. The number of Russian combat aircraft is 772 and Ukraine’s 69. Russian attack and support aircraft are 739 to 29 Ukrainian. The Russian Army has 1,543 helicopters, of which 540 are combat helicopters. Ukraine 112 and 34, respectively.

As for the ground forces, the Russian Armed Forces have 12,420 main battle tanks to the Ukrainian’s 2,596. The number of Russian armored vehicles is 30,122 and the Ukrainian 12,303. The Russian artillery has 6,574 self-propelled batteries and the Ukraine 1,067. The Russians add 3,391 missile launchers and the Ukrainians 490.

In relation to the naval force, the difference is from 605 ships to 38 in favor of Russia.

The Russian fleet is made up of an aircraft carrier, 70 submarines, 15 destroyers, 11 frigates, 86 corvettes, 59 patrol boats and 49 minesweepers.

The Ukrainian Navy is limited to one frigate, one corvette, 13 patrol boats and one minesweeper.