Key Points and Summary: The Ukraine war has dramatically diminished Russia’s conventional military threat to NATO. Reports indicate that Russia has lost over 3,000 tanks—its entire active-duty tank force—and faces significant manpower and economic challenges.
-Despite claims of advanced technologies like hypersonics and Su-57s, Russia’s limited production capacity restricts their impact, especially compared to NATO’s hundreds of F-35s.
-Precision ammunition shortages and reliance on outdated equipment further highlight Russia’s struggles.
-While nuclear threats remain a concern, the depletion of conventional forces suggests that Russia’s ability to wage large-scale land war has been significantly undermined, reshaping NATO’s strategic outlook.
Has the War in Ukraine Exposed Russia’s Weaknesses?
It was once thought that the Russian Army presented a massive threat to NATO, and while this may still be the case to some extent, the war in Ukraine has massively changed this theory. One significant reason is manpower. A report from the Kyiv Independent says that Ukraine operates a force of 880,000 soldiers faced with fighting only 600,000 Russian soldiers.
Mass Problem for the Russian Army
The complexity and challenge of the Russian military, when it comes to technological prowess, somewhat pertain to a numbers scenario.
While the country may possess advanced, paradigm-changing technology in the realm of hypersonics, 5th-gen aircraft, and electronic warfare (EW), it is not clear that Russia has the industrial capacity to scale these technologies substantially.
The Su-57, for example, may or may not rival a US F-35, yet this question loses relevance when one considers that there are not many Su-57s. Available estimates indicate that Russia now operates roughly 19 – 20 Su-57s due to ongoing production and economic problems.
This means that Russia simply has no ability to “mass” 5th-generation air power. By contrast, the US, NATO, and Europe currently operate hundreds of F-35s and would arguably be able to achieve air superiority quickly in any significant engagement with Russia.
Russia also claims to be ahead in the realm of hypersonics. It has, in fact, “fired” its Oreshnik hypersonic missile in Ukraine. This weapon may incorporate a wide range of cutting-edge technologies of great concern to the West, but how many are there?
What kind of industrial capacity does Russia have to manufacture munitions and equipment in any meaningful capacity? Russia has already faced shortfalls with precision ammunition.
Russia lost 3,000 tanks
Apart from these threatening technologies, Russia has for decades presented a substantial “land war” threat to NATO, yet this threat has likely now been diminished to a massive extent. An interesting and significant Army Intelligence Report called “The Operational Environment 2024-2034 Large-Scale Combat Operations.” (US Army Training and Doctrine Command, G2), from US Army TRADOC, says that Russia’s entire active duty tank force has been destroyed in its war with Ukraine.
“Ukrainian Armed Forces have used vast quantities of man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), antitank guided missiles, and FPV UAS—combined with fires—to great effect.
As of July 2024, Russia has lost 3,197 main battle tanks—more than its entire active-duty inventory at the outset of conflict—and 6,160 armored fighting vehicles, forcing them to pull increasingly obsolescent systems from storage,” the text of the report from 2024 states.

A T-72 B3 tank operated by a crew from Russia jumps during the Tank Biathlon competition at the International Army Games 2020 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia September 2, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
This fact alone, coupled with Russia’s extensive human casualties and economic problems, would seem to suggest that Russia is no longer a serious conventional warfare threat to the US and NATO.
This is likely one reason why Putin has continued with “nuclear threats” as he has, in effect, held the world hostage with the prospect of starting a massive nuclear war.
However genuine these threats are, they are indeed being taken seriously by the West, which complicates ongoing efforts to support Ukraine.

Russian T-72 tank from the Ukraine War. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

chrisford1
January 16, 2025 at 6:39 pm
I don’t trust what the US generals and admirals say after all the lost American wars and all the Lying 4-Stars active & retired – than I think the Ukrainians have any credibility on war casualties.
It wasn’t the uberstrong conventional forces of the Russians Marching West for the last 30 years, it is the NATO offense nations that have attacked multiple countries since 1990 – Marching East. All while subverting, destabilizing, bombing, and using Proxy wars on nation after nation under the guise of “color revolutions”.
Author clings to the good old stuff – tanks, super zoom-zoom manned jets as the measure of power. Had he conge past land armies, no doubt he would be saying how our aircraft carriers make the US Navy the Boss of the Worlds oceans and seas.
Russia is like America in the 1950s-70s. Who were facing a far more powerful conventional Red Army.
Deciding not to match them tank for tank, Infantry Divisions and artillery must match of exceed the Soviets. Instead America relied on tactical nukes 1st use to stop the Soviets from Marching West. Russians are doing the same thing.
Keith P.
January 17, 2025 at 8:24 pm
Russia is a corrupt kleptocracy. You are probably a pro-Russisn shill. Tell you what, I have a penny in my pocket so I will buy 110 of your worthless rubles. Your “country” is going to collapse in late 2025 just like your Soviet Union. You Russians simply cannot get away from the cultural need for a strong man type ruler.
Swamplaw Yankee
January 17, 2025 at 8:48 am
Yeah, yeah, lots of stats + suppositions. Its like buying a newspaper for the tip sheet because you refuse to read the daily racing form. Lets title this one “Stable Boy Moscow”.
January 20 is the “tip”day. Trump will wave the sharp blade edge about and make a historic gravitational time dilation choice. Save the WEST by rightfully returning Crimea/Sevastopol to the sphere of the WEST. That is a Victory attitude, not a statistical count of drones and kamikaze UGV, etc. Or, the world will see Trump is not intellectual as Trump literally slits the throat of the West by emitting weasal words that accommodate the failing orc muscovite parasite take over of Ukrainian soil. That observation by the whole world is the force that makes our ripple in space time: our entanglement. That basic. Winner or Loser! Place your bets. -30-
Jim
January 17, 2025 at 11:14 am
“Russia is getting larger, and they’re getting better than they were before. … They are actually larger than they were when [the invasion] kicked off,” Air Force General James Hecker told reporters at the Air & Space Forces Association’s annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference.”
And, General Chris Cavoli is recently quoted as saying,”At the end of the war in Ukraine, whatever it looks like, the Russian army will be stronger than it is today,”
Please, authors have an obligation to their readers.
These are four star generals… who are you?
This is the problem with Washington, a total disregard for the dignity and intelligence of the American People.
I’m sorry the author has no credibility.
Have you no shame?