Better trained, better equipped: What you should know about Russia and Ukraine's militaries

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WASHINGTON – Russia had no problem getting past Ukraine’s military forces when it orchestrated a bloodless takeover of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted that not a single shot was fired during the assault.

Russian troops face a far more formidable adversary after Putin invaded Ukraine again. Ukraine’s military is better trained, better equipped and more battle-tested than it was eight years ago, experts said.

“They are not what they were in 2014,” said Jim Townsend, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense.

Though Russia is the superior military power and will almost certainly prevail, Ukraine’s defense forces could inflict significant damage on Russian troops, according to an analysis by the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington.

“In collaboration with reservists, civil society, and volunteers, they can make any attempted invasion a miserable experience for Russia,” the group concluded in a report in December.

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Members of Ukraine's volunteer military units  train in a city park in Kyiv on Jan. 22, 2022.
Members of Ukraine's volunteer military units train in a city park in Kyiv on Jan. 22, 2022.

How big is Ukraine’s military?

Ukraine has 250,000 active-duty troops, plus 290,000 reserve personnel and 50,000 paramilitary units that could be activated in a conflict with Russia. In 2014, by comparison, Ukraine had 140,000 troops, 6,000 of which were ready for combat.

How big is Russia’s military?

Russia has more than 1 million active-duty personnel, more than four times Ukraine's force strength. Russia also has 378,000 reserve personnel and 250,000 paramilitary troops that it could call up in a conflict with its neighbor.

Who has the most weapons?

Russia, hands down.

In terms of land power, Russia prevails, with more than 12,000 tanks (compared with 2,500 for Ukraine), 30,000 armored vehicles (Ukraine has 12,000) and 12,000 self-propelled artillery (Ukraine has a little more than 1,000).

Russia also dominates in air power, with more than 700 fighter aircraft (compared with about 70 for Ukraine), more than 700 attack aircraft (Ukraine has fewer than 30), more than 500 attack helicopters (Ukraine has 34) and 1,500 helicopters (Ukraine has a little more than 100).

At sea, Russia rules with 15 destroyers, 70 submarines, 11 frigates and nearly 50 mine warfare vessels. Ukraine has no destroyers or submarines, just one frigate and one mine warfare vessel.

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Who is sending weapons to Ukraine?

The United States has spent billions of dollars to help Ukraine build up its military defenses, an investment that's likely to escalate dramatically after Russia invaded.

President Joe Biden said the United States would not send troops to help defend Ukraine against Russian forces, but it probably would send American forces to other European countries, including Poland and Romania. The Pentagon announced on Jan. 24 it put 8,500 U.S. troops on "heightened alert" for possible deployment to Eastern Europe amid the crisis.

Biden said Thursday he spoke to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Miley about preparations for “additional moves” of troops if it becomes necessary to protect NATO allies.

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In December, the White House said it would give $200 million in defensive military equipment to Ukraine. The package reportedly includes anti-armor missiles, ammunition and other items.

The United States is sending weapons to Ukraine through third-party transfers, in which NATO members provide U.S.-made weapons. The transfers include javelin anti-tank weapons from Estonia, stinger air defense systems from Lithuania and Latvia and anti-tank missiles from the United Kingdom.

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How is Ukraine’s military different from 2014?

Ukraine was completely unprepared for war when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014.

Its armed forces were not manned, equipped or trained to meet Russian aggression, and its logistic stockpiles were essentially nonexistent, expect for weapons and ammunition mostly from the Soviet period, according to the Atlantic Council.

Ukraine made modernizing its military a priority over the past seven years, but decades of neglect have been difficult to overcome, the council reported.

Ukraine's military has several strategic vulnerabilities, including gaps in operational and combat capabilities. Corruption remains a problem, funding is limited because of the general economic conditions in the country, and many important weapons purchases have been placed on the back burner – not because of a lack of will but because of a lack of funding, the council’s analysis concluded.

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How long could Ukraine hold Russia off?

It’s hard to say.

Russia launched a sweeping attack from multiple directions that included air and missile attacks, ground forces and special forces that targeted Ukraine's military infrastructure and major cities. That left Ukraine in the position of defending itself on multiple fronts, “so it just makes their inferiority even worse because they’re going to be thin," Townsend said.

Russia's military assault was accompanied by cyberattacks against Ukrainian government websites and affiliated organizations, including data-wiping malware that cybersecurity researchers said infected hundreds of computers, including in neighboring Latvia and Lithuania. Researchers said the malware attack had apparently been in preparation for as much as three months.

“I don't think you're going to see the Ukraine being able to stop the Russians for a long period of time,” Townsend said.

Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.

Contributing: Karina Zaiets, Stephen J. Beard, Javier Zarracina, George Petras and The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine and Russia militaries: What to know about power and size