Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov this week goaded Western leaders. He said his forces are ready to take on NATO should it deploy troops in UkraineRussia's war in Ukraine has revealed to the world in graphic detail the smorgasbord of lethal technologies that can be used to destroy one's enemy in a large-scale 21st-century clash.
So, until the AI overlords of the future swoop in to do the heavy lifting for us, George S. Patton's observation that 'wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men' looks set to endure. With that in mind, MailOnline takes a look at how the armies of Russia and NATO stack up, and outlines the tale of the tape for a potential future clash between East and West on the battlefield in Ukraine.Ukrainian servicemen of the 59th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system
Going by the numbers, NATO's collective military is by far the world's most formidable fighting force. With a presidential election looming in the United States, many fear that enduring US support for its European allies is not guaranteed. In this pool photograph distributed by Russia's state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via a videoconference in Moscow on May 13, 2024
Again taken as a whole, European NATO states still lead Russia in almost all categories, aside from the number of armoured land vehicles - and, of course, nuclear weapons. 'This means that Russia has established significant numerical superiority over the Armed Forces of Ukraine ,' Watling said. More than a million people reach military age in Russia every year, and all men aged 18-30 are liable to perform one year of national service.
NATO troops take part in Nordic Response 24 - a phase of the larger NATO exercise Steadfast Defender. The exercise involves air, sea, and land forces, with over 100 fighter jets, 50 ships, and over 20,000 troops practising defensive manoeuvres in cold and harsh weather conditions They are meant primarily as a first line of defence to protect against the potential of a Russian invasion beyond Ukraine, rather than as a pro-active force ready to deploy to the front line.
However, some experts - including former high-ranking Western military officials - have suggested that EU member states may consider sending military personnel to bolster Ukraine's defences independent of NATO.