Ukraine and Russia's militaries are David and Goliath. Here's how they compare
Ukrainian service members sit atop armored personnel carriers Thursday as they drive on a road in the Donetsk region. (Vadim Ghirda/AP)
Here's how the two country's military capabilities stack up:
Defense spending: Ukraine spent
$4.7 billion in 2021, just over a tenth of nuclear-armed Russia's
$45.8 billion, according to a recent "The Military Balance" report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Manpower: Russia has
900,000 active personnel in its armed forces, and
2 million in reserve. Ukraine has
196,000 and
900,000 reservists. In land forces, Russia has
a twofold advantage, with 280,000 troops to Ukraine's 125,600. And its air force is
nearly five times as strong, with 165,00 to Ukraine's 35,000. Russia had an estimated
200,000 personnel in and around Ukraine.
Weaponry and vehicles: Russia has more than
15,857 armored fighting vehicles, for example, to Ukraine's
3,309. It has more than
10 times the aircraft -- 1,391 to Ukraine's 128, and 821 helicopters to Ukraine's 55, if you include Navy aircraft. Where Russia has
49 submarines, Ukraine has none, according to IISS.
Combat will: Ukrainian forces have, however, launched some successful counterattacks.
Experts have noted that the sheer combat will among Ukrainian troops to defend their homes and families against Russian acts of violence has been the armed forces' greatest strength.
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