How big is the gap between the forces of Ukraine and Russia?
- With one of the largest and strongest armies in the world, Russian power dwarfs neighbouring Ukraine on every measure
- The Ukrainian central bank has opened a fundraising account to support the embattled army
Military aid and diplomatic support from Nato and the United States for Ukraine pales against one of the largest and strongest armies in the world. Ukraine’s central bank opened a special fundraising account on Thursday for donations from people around the world to support its embattled army.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country is being “left alone” in its conflict with the Russians, whose forces are superior in every aspect.
Military expenditure
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks expenditure and arms trade, Russia and Ukraine attribute similar portions of their gross domestic product (GDP) to their militaries at 4.3 per cent and 4.1 per cent, respectively.
However, Russia’s economy is around 10 times the size of Ukraine’s, putting its expenditure in 2020 at US$61.7 billion, compared to Ukraine’s US$5.9 billion.
Troops
Russia has 850,000 active full-time personnel in its army, more than three times Ukraine’s 250,000. When reserve and paramilitary forces, such as the police, are included, Russian troops still outnumber their Ukrainian counterparts by nearly three to one.
Air and land forces
