Military strength of Russia and Ukraine compared

After months of denial, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in the Donbas region on Thursday (February 24).

The region is held by Russian-backed two separatist groups that identify themselves as Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic.

Following the announcement of the military action, explosions were reported in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and some other parts of the country. According to foreign media, airports and military headquarters were hit first, near cities across Ukraine, including the main Boryspil international airport in Kyiv.

Russia had deployed at least 200,000 troops to the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing them as independent on Feb 21. Despite being met with international condemnation, Putin justified the move as an attempt to “keep the peace”. He also asked the Ukrainian military to lay down its arms.

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by land, air, and sea began, the Western-backed eastern European nation declared martial law – meaning that its military has taken control temporarily.

Ukraine also severed its diplomatic relations with Russia in response to the latest developments.

Escalation of conflict in 2014

Ukraine was a former Soviet republic and has deep-rooted social and cultural ties with Russia. However, the relations were strained following Russia’s invasion of its south-eastern neighbour in 2014 after the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted.

Yanukovych had ditched the signing of a trade pact and political association agreement with the European Union and thereby rejecting closer ties with the bloc.

This move angered the citizens of Ukraine, who then took to the streets. Months of unrest lasted in Kyiv despite the security forces’ attempts to clamp down on the protests.

Yanukovych fled the capital and asked the Russian counterpart to send troops to Ukraine to restore his control over the country.

Later Putin deployed the Russian military to Ukraine’s borders for an unforeseen military operation. Russia then annexed the Crimea peninsula in 2014, and seized large parts of eastern Ukraine by backing the separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk. The protracted fighting has since claimed the lives of more than 14,000 people and displaced millions of others.

New tensions between Ukraine and Russia

Although the conflict between the former Soviet republic and Russia had been there for years, the situation escalated yet again in early 2021 after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked U.S. President Joe Biden to allow his country to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This angered Russia, who has long opposed the eastward expansion by NATO. then began deploying troops closer to the Ukrainian borders for what it called “training exercises.” President Putin also partly blamed the decision to launch an attack on the NATO’s move.

Military strengths of Ukraine and Russia

The Russian Armed Forces are one of the world’s largest military forces, with around a million active-duty personnel, which is the world’s fifth-largest, and at least 2 million reserve personnel. Russia ranks in the top five nations which spend most of their GDP on their military.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia spent USD 61.7bn on its military which accounted for 11.4 percent of government spending. In comparison, Ukraine spent USD 5.9bn on its military which accounted for 8.8 percent of government spending.

In a head-to-head comparison of the military capabilities of Ukraine and Russia, Russia outnumbers Ukraine in almost every aspect. 

According to Global Fire Power, Russia is the second most powerful country militarily, while Ukraine is ranked 22 out of 140 nations.

In terms of active personnel, Russia has nearly 850,000 active personnel and Ukraine have only 250,000. Russia’s airpower is also more powerful than Ukraine. Russia has more than 4,100 aircraft, with 772 fighters, while Ukraine only has 318 total aircraft, with just 69 fighter aircraft.

In terms of land military power, Russia has around 12,500 tanks and Ukraine only has around 2,600 tanks and 12,000 armoured vehicles. While Russia has more than 30,000 armoured vehicles. In terms of fighter aircraft, Russia has 772 fighter jets, while Ukraine has just 69.

In recent weeks, NATO countries have been supplying Ukraine with additional “lethal aid”, such as the UK’s provision of 2,000 anti-tank weapons. Yet while these shipments are designed to make any Russian invasion costlier to them, few experts believe these weapons would change the immediate outcome of a Russian attack.

--with inputs from agencies