The Russian army is bigger and stronger than it was before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This was stated by General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa, in an interview with voanews.com.
This is happening despite the heavy casualties inflicted by Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin estimated that by 2022, more than 350,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded. The Pentagon announced that the number of victims the Russian army is giving is shocking.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to be increased by 180,000 active duty troops to a total of 1.5 million soldiers, making it the second largest in the world after China's.
„Russia is going to be something we have to deal with for a long time,” Hecker said.
Many observers note that the Kremlin is reluctant to mobilize more reservists, fearing internal destabilization similar to what happened in 2022, when hundreds of thousands of Russians fled Russia to avoid being sent into combat.< /p>
The most combat-ready Russian forces are stationed in eastern Ukraine, where they have been making gradual but steady gains over the past few months.