What is Russia’s capability?
Russia’s military capability is not to be sniffed at, easily ranking
among the world’s most powerful.
According to the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, its inventory includes
“336 intercontinental ballistic missiles, 2,840 battle tanks, 5,220 armored
infantry fighting vehicles, over 6,100 armored personnel carriers and more than
4,684 pieces of artillery”.
But it is lacking in some areas of modern military technology, including
drone capability, electronic components, and radar and satellite
reconnaissance, Russian journalist and military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer
told Deutsche Welle.
“That’s what the Russian military is talking about: yes, we have
weapons, including long-range weapons, but our reconnaissance capabilities are
weaker than our attack capabilities,” Felgenhauer said. “So we have-long range,
sometimes precision guided weapons, but we don’t always know where the target
is.”
Who would win?
Research published in 2019 by the Royal United
Services Institute (RUSI) found that British forces would be
“comprehensively outgunned” in any conflict with Russia in eastern
Europe.
The RUSI found that the British Army and its Nato allies have a
“critical shortage” of artillery and ammunition, meaning they would struggle to
maintain a credible defence position if Russia were to opt for all-out
aggression.
“At present, there is a risk that the UK – unable to credibly fight –
can be dominated lower down the escalation ladder by powers threatening
escalation,” said RUSI’s report.
But the UK wouldn’t need to stand alone against Russia. And Nato’s
biggest player, the US, has an overwhelming advantage over Russia in
conventional forces, Russian military analyst Aleksandr Golts told Deutsche
Welle.
While Felgenhauer agreed with Golt’s assessment of the US’s military
advantage, he warned that open warfare often comes down to far more than the
inventories that each side of the conflict can call upon.
He told DW that “it’s like predicting the result of a soccer match”,
adding: “Yes, basically, Brazil should beat America in soccer, but I have seen
Americans beat Brazil in South Africa, at the Confederations Cup. You never
know the result until the game is played.”
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