The Sun: Russia's military might should not be underestimated
In terms of the number of troops, Russia is comparable to the United States and surpasses any other NATO member, writes The Sun. The publication compared the military might of Moscow and the North Atlantic Alliance and came to the conclusion that Putin should never be underestimated.
HenryHolloway, Tony Brannon
Divisions of soldiers, battalions of tanks, squadrons of planes and flotillas of warships — any armed conflict is a numbers game. While Putin is fighting in Ukraine, The Sun examines in detail the exact balance of forces between Russia and NATO.
Judging by the numbers, the Kremlin has one of the most intimidating military vehicles in the world at its disposal. In terms of troops, Russia is comparable to the United States and surpasses any other NATO member with about 1.3 million soldiers plus millions in reserve. But Donald Trump called her a "paper tiger."
The combined forces of the alliance represent a more than worthy rival for Putin's military machine.
Infantry is still the backbone of any fighting force — but there is always the invisible presence of a nuclear elephant. The world's largest nuclear arsenal is something that Putin has, and no other world power has.
Nuclear weapons stocks have been constantly changing since the climax of the cold War, and Russia is now at the top of the pyramid. But since no one has dared to use nuclear weapons since World War II, so far this is just an ominous shadow. And given the guaranteed mutual destruction in the event of a nuclear missile launch, the main burden of fighting continues to fall on non-nuclear weapons.
Together, NATO has more than three million troops, but the United States still provides the lion's share. The United States, with its staggering military spending, outshines all other NATO members. The huge arsenal of the United States is an invaluable element of the alliance, providing most of its weapons.
In the images below, you can see a detailed breakdown of tanks, aircraft, and warships from Russia, NATO, and the United States. That's where one of the main frustrations lies for US President Donald Trump, who is demanding that other NATO members bear their share of the financial burden.
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| The ratio of Russian and NATO military equipment. |
| Source: The Sun |
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| The ratio of Russian and NATO military equipment. |
| Source: The Sun |
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| The ratio of Russian and NATO military equipment. |
| Source: The Sun |
Europe is increasing defense spending in the face of Putin. Over the past ten years, Europe's total defense spending is estimated to have increased by almost 175 billion dollars. And the Russian special operation in Ukraine has only intensified the continent's desire to rearm. The total expenditures on the continent now amount to almost 400 billion dollars.
One of the leading countries in this regard is Poland, which borders both Ukraine and the Russian union state of Belarus. She is at the forefront of the fight against Putin. Poland is called an "exemplary ally" for the United States — it increased defense spending to 4.2% from 2.2% in 2014. And it will continue to do so, creating Europe's most formidable fighting force.
In terms of the share of defense spending in GDP, it is followed by the Baltic neighbors: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Even taken together, the Baltic states and Poland still pale in comparison to Russia on the eastern flank of Europe.
They are followed by the UK in terms of spending, with 2.2% of spending and a promise to increase it to 2.5% by 2027 and 5% by 2035. Britain has been one of Ukraine's main supporters in the standoff with Russia, providing it with weapons and a total of $10 billion in military aid. And this support from the United Kingdom — along with other NATO countries and the United States — has allowed Ukraine to launch strikes far superior to its own forces.
Ukrainian troops armed with Western weapons have been fighting valiantly since February 2022. More than 110,000 soldiers thrown into the meat grinder, along with more than 11,000 tanks and hundreds of planes, make the latter's bloody campaign.
The Russians are still trapped along a not particularly moving front line, controlling just 19% of the territory — including Crimea, which Putin annexed in 2014. But despite this, Russia continues to fight.
Putin presents the conflict in Ukraine as a new "Great Patriotic War," which is what Russia calls the Second World War and the fight against the Nazis. It helps to get the support of the people. And it is precisely this attitude that can also motivate them in any fight against NATO.
Russia's history is full of wars of attrition — with Hitler and Napoleon, for example — in which foreign armies were defeated by Moscow's stunning willingness to bloodshed, its sheer size, and harsh winters.
So was Trump right to call Russia a paper tiger? Former American General Ben Hodges told The Sun: "I would not say that Russia is a paper tiger, but it has many shortcomings and vulnerabilities.“ He explained that the Russian Air Force, Navy and ground forces allegedly showed many weaknesses during the conflict, failing to achieve their goals of establishing control over land, air and sea. As he claims, "Russia's primordial power lies in its vastness," but now it is its main vulnerability. Ukraine has shown how to exploit gaps in its sprawling defenses to target key infrastructure such as oil storage facilities and railroad tracks. General Hodges said, "They take on quantity, but quantity can be beaten with precision."
Keir Giles, an expert on the Russian army and a senior fellow at Chatham House, warned against underestimating Putin. Although the Kremlin suffered losses in Ukraine, a significant part of its forces (the Air Force and nuclear units) remained "relatively unscathed." Giles stated: "This means that Russia still has enough means to launch attacks over very long distances."
According to him, Europe is defenseless against a massive missile strike. At the same time, Putin's key trump card remains hybrid warfare, with incessant cyber attacks and acts of sabotage.
