The land forces of Russia have grown in size since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but their overall quality has declined, a senior NATO military official stated on Monday.
“The quality of those forces has gone down,” said Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of NATO’s Military Committee, highlighting issues with the troops’ equipment and training levels.
Emphasising the importance of increasing investment into the defence industry, he told the news agency Reuters, “At the moment, the Russians are not the same threat as in February 2022, so we have a bit of time to prepare ourselves.”
Russia Launches Ballistic Missile At Ukraine
Russia launched a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday (November 21). The offensive came in response to the US and UK allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons, further escalating the 33-month-old war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued his warning that more could follow. “A regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character,” Putin said in a televised address, reported Reuters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the use of a new missile by Russia, calling it a “clear and severe escalation” in the ongoing war and urging strong international condemnation.