I spent some time touring websites that rank nations of the world in terms of military capacity as of April 2023.
Russia has about 142 million people, and the Ukraine hopes to win a war of attrition with it's 43.5 million people, many of whom have left the country (refugees or escaping conscription), been injured or killed.
The disparity's in capacity are laughably obvious, even though we are bombarded with propaganda that portrays this war as a close call. Here's a table showing which side has the advantage - I think the Ukraine has the geographic advantage in that it is fighting on it's own soil. Other than that, nada.
I know that this is actually NATO's war, but I recall the early memes of the Ukraine bragging that it alone was more than a match for Russia. And now NATO is pressuring Z for peace negotations.
Russia has 70 submarines, and the Ukraine doesn't have any. It certainly puts a different light on the massive Pro Ukraine celebrations about damaging Russian subs - the Ukrainians didn't have any of their own to be damaged so in their eyes, that's a big win - a sign of their military prowess??? Russia has over 4000 aircraft, the Ukraine has 312. We know the Ukraine's aircraft are no match (too old, lower tech) for Russia's and by now, some countries will have shipped their old fighters to the Ukraine. On and on it goes, and just now, another shilling thread touting the YOUCRAINE's supposedly imminent victory, as internationally the Ukraine has lost financial backing and is being pressured to negotiate.
The Global power website ranks Russia and the Ukraine among all militarized nations overall, and on a piecemeal basis. It counts able bodied (able to serve in military) and troop levels etc.
https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-comparison-detail.php?country1=russia&country2=ukraine
That website's data was used create the following table on Statista:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1296573/russia-ukraine-military-comparison/
Indicator Russia Ukraine Personnel - - Estimated total military personnel 1,330,900 500,000 Active soldiers 830,900 200,000 Reserve forces 250,000 250,000 Paramilitary units 250,000 50,000 Air force - - Total aircraft 4,182 312 Total helicopters 1,531 113 Fighters 773 69 Dedicated attack 744 28 Attack helicopters 537 33 Trainers 524 71 Transport aircraft 444 26
Special-mission aircraft 147 5 Aerial tankers 19 0 Land power - - Armored vehicles 151,641 37,000 Tank strength 12,566 1,890 Tower artillery 4,336 889 Self-propelled artillery 6,575 953 Mobile rocket projectors 3,887 647 Naval force - - Total military ships 598 38 Corvettes 86 1 Submarines 70 0 Patrol vessels 59 13
Mine warfare 49 1 Destroyers 15 0 Frigates 11 1 Aircraft carriers 1 0 Nuclear weapons - - Total inventory of nuclear warheads* 5,977 0
Thanks for the informative post, ransomnote.
Facts are facts. You can’t argue with them...but I’m sure mommy will.
"Western officials’ promises of reinvigorating their own defense industries have collided with bureaucratic and supply-chain bottlenecks. Meanwhile, sanctions and export controls have impeded Putin’s war effort far less than expected. Russian defense factories are ramping up their output, and Soviet legacy factories are outperforming Western factories when it comes to much-needed items like artillery shells."The technocrats responsible for running the Russian economy have proven themselves to be resilient, adaptable, and resourceful. Elevated oil prices, driven in part by close cooperation with Saudi Arabia, are refilling state coffers. Ukraine, by contrast, depends heavily on infusions of Western cash."
It’s Time to End Magical Thinking About Russia’s Defeat Wall Street Journal, 16 November 2023
“The disparity’s in capacity are laughably obvious,”
And yet, Ukraine has recovered Snake Island, chased much of the Russian warships from Sevastapol, badly damaged or destroyed new Russian military ships in Kersh shipyard, and has made it possible for commercial ships to renew the export of Ukraine grains, iron ore, etc. Not bad for a country with no submarines or much navy.
Then we have reports of devastating attacks on sleeping Russians in their quarters by Ukraine soldiers who have night vision goggles and other small equipment which the Russain or Chechnian soldiers completely lack. Then they use cheap machine guns rather that expensive rockets to mow them down in their beds. Remember what termites do to buildings, and microbes do to the human body. When it comes to final results, Ukraine’s effectiveness with modest cost commercial drones, and other creative fighting are a significant factor not mentioned in your big power research parameters. Then think of the poor Russian soldiers told to ask their women for tampons to plug the bleeding bullet wounds, and forced to buy much of their own military clothes.
Then there is the human factor. Ukraines fighters are motivated. Russian fighters mostly just want to go home and are bitching to their families they are not being rotated or given owed R & R. This SUNDAY there is supposed to be widespread demonstrations by Russian families on behalf of their miserable conscript soldiers. Will be interesting to see how that develops. Small or large crowds? Mild or vicious official responses, etc.?
Vlad the Invader's "special military operations" against Ukraine have indeed been "a close call", but nobody has ever claimed Ukrainians could match Russian manpower.
It has always been a case of three Russians or more to one Ukrainian.
What's made it "a close call" is Russia's willingness to sacrifice thousands of their own soldiers in suicidal "Meat Wave" assaults for the gain of just a few yards.
In such "Meat Wave" assaults, Russian losses are typically three or more to one Ukrainian.
ransomnote: "The Global power website ranks Russia and the Ukraine among all militarized nations overall, and on a piecemeal basis.
It counts able bodied (able to serve in military) and troop levels etc."
I don't think your numbers are any more reliable than these or these.
Estimates of Russian troops in or around Ukraine range up to about 400,000.
Russian losses since February 2022 have averaged roughly 500 per day and lately are peaking at over 1,000 per day.
Ukrainian losses, especially when fighting on the defense, are less than one third of those numbers.
Finally, by all accounts I've seen, Ukrainian forces are growing more exhausted, but still are highly motivated and treated reasonably well.
By stark contrast, Russia's forces are portrayed as demoralized, poorly supplied and sometimes rebellious, especially when ordered into suicidal "Meat Wave" assaults on Ukrainian positions.
The real problem here is that while Western countries have supplied Ukraine with enough weapons, ammo, etc., to keep fighting, they (we) have not sent enough to actually win the war.
That is 100% typical of our own Democrats and has lead to debacles in the past like Vietnam and Afghanistan.
The Great Glorious Victorious Spring-Summer-Fall-Winter-Mother's Day-Kwanzaa Victory™ is at hand!

They know they can’t win this. That’s why they’re desperate to get NATO (meaning the USA) into it to save them.
Sometimes it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. The Russians as a culture are a very mediocre untalented people who don’t have much heart to put into a fight. Look at this video and see a very stupid untalented people. Notice how the kids show no interest and appear to be zoned out and not at all have any interest in what is happening. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNPW230hbP4&fbclid=IwAR0AIupmGjvN6J6HcTdbgyjbynWlqg1OlXiCs76dPOB8JiGJguQ6CyP5fQo