Russia vs Ukraine military imbalance – How the nations compare as Putin sparks war fears

Russia is now 1,000 days into the illegal war with it launched in February 2022 – when the Kremlin wrongly believed the conflict would last just a couple of days.

has now entered a new phase after media said Kyiv used to strike inside for the first time on Tuesday, November 19. Explosions were seen at an ammunition depot in Karachev, around 75 miles from the Ukrainian border.

This comes in the wake of giving the go-ahead for to use US-made on targets beyond the internationally recognised borders of the eastern European nation for the first time this week.

The US had never allowed Kyiv to use the ATACMS inside – until now.

Mr Biden’s move marks a significant escalation in Western support for Kyiv amid its ongoing war with Moscow.

The Kremlin has criticised President , accusing him of adding “fuel to the fire”.

The use of ATACM systems may provide a boost to the military. However, the Russian and Ukrainian armies remain imbalanced – and Express.co.uk has looked into how they compare.

What are ATACMS missiles?

ATACMS (army tactical missile systems) is described by its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, as a long-range, guided missile which is fired from multiple-launch rocket systems. It is guided by GPS (global positioning system).

These missiles are capable of hitting targets at up to 186 miles and it is their range that makes them particularly important for .

ATACMS are incredibly difficult to intercept thanks to them being fuelled by solid rocket propellant and follow a ballistic path into the atmosphere before coming back down at a high speed and high angle.

In light of Mr Biden’s green-light to on the use of ATACMS, Putin has approved changes to , setting out new conditions under which the country may use nuclear weapons.

The new doctine states that the Kremlin could consider launching an atomic strike if was hit by a conventional missile assault by a state being supported by a nuclear power.

The doctrine also stated that any attack on by a state in a coalition would be considered an attack by the entire coalition.

The TASS Russian state-news agency report added that any assault on its neighbour Belarus, the use of drones against , or the crossing of a Russian border could also incur a nuclear response.

launched 120 missiles and 90 drones in a large-scale attack , targeting the country’s energy infrastructure, has said.

Mr Zelensky said had used various types of drones including Shaheds, plus cruise, ballistic and aero ballistic missiles.

The bulk of these seem to have been shot down or otherwise neutralised, however some got through the Ukrainian defences. Reported Ukrainian casualties comprise seven dead and

General Staff of Armed Forces claims that has lost an eye-watering 710,660 troops in since the beginning of the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

With a population of over 146 million, it comes as no surprise that the Russian military could outnumber ’s, as it’s a much smaller nation with a population of just over 46 million.

The ground forces imbalance

There is a stark imbalance between the two nations’ military capabilities across the board.

As of April 2024, ‘s military had approximately 2.2 million personnel, including 900,000 active military and 1.2 million reserve forces. Whereas ‘s military has 3.57 million personnel and 1.32 million of these are claimed to be active.

In ground forces, has been claimed to have about 850,000 active personnel, whereas houses an army of just 200,000.

has around 3,200 tanks in stock, however, ‘s Armed Forces possess less than 1,800 tanks as of this 2024.

What about air forces?

has an estimated total of 4,255 military aircraft. ’s total aircraft equates to 321 with 72 fighter aircraft, 30 dedicated attack aircraft, and 130 helicopters.

And naval forces?

The Ukrainian Navy has 104 ships in its fleet, and 33 patrol vessels whilst the Russian Navy has approximately 370 active ships and 160,000 active duty personnel.