As Russia conducts a multipronged invasion into Ukraine, the Ukrainian military faces an enemy that far outmatches its military capabilities in land, air, and sea.
Considered the second-largest military power in the world, Russia has more troops, air power, land forces, naval forces, and military funding than Ukraine, which ranks 22nd out of 140 modern military powers, based on the 2022 Global Firepower Index.
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Russia has approximately 850,000 active military personnel compared to Ukraine’s 200,000 active personnel, according to Global Firepower. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday the government would lift sanctions on all citizens of Ukraine so they could be armed to defend the country.
“We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities,” Zelensky tweeted.
We will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country. Be ready to support Ukraine in the squares of our cities.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2022
Talked to @POTUS, @OlafScholz, @eucopresident, @AndrzejDuda, @BorisJohnson. Urge to stop Putin, war against ?? & the world immediately! Building an anti-Putin coalition. Immediate sanctions, defense & financial support to ??! Close the airspace! The world must force ?? into peace
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 24, 2022
Zelensky also wrote in a series of tweets that he was waiting for “concrete assistance for our military” from NATO allies, saying that the “world must force [Russia] into peace.”
Ukraine is also pulling from a smaller defense budget to finance its response with approximately $11 billion in U.S. dollars, compared to Russia’s $154 billion budget, according to the site.
On land, Russia reportedly has over 12,000 tanks and 30,000 armored vehicles. Ukraine has approximately 2,500 tanks and 12,000 armored vehicles.
In self-propelled artillery, Russia outnumbers Ukraine over 6-to-1.
In air capabilities, Ukraine has 318 total aircraft, including 69 fighters and 112 helicopters. Russia has over 4,000 total aircraft, including 772 fighters and over 1,500 helicopters.
The greatest military imbalance lies at sea as Russia controls 70 submarines and one aircraft carrier, while Ukraine has neither.
Despite falling short, Ukraine’s military capabilities benefited from foreign defense aid.
Canada has sent rifles and machine guns with optical sight, and the United States has sent 1,500 tons of ammunition, among others.
?? Two birds ➡️ defense aid from the ?? ➡️ 180 tons of ammunition for @ArmedForcesUkr! In total, we received 17 birds weighing almost 1,500 tons! Our friends are not sleeping! ????? @SecDef @StateDept @DeptofDefense pic.twitter.com/y7chf7vhw4
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) February 13, 2022
Since 2014, the United States has pledged more than $2.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine’s forces. In 2021, the U.S. upped its aid to provide more than $650 million to Ukraine, as reported by Defense News.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration offered Ukraine a loan of $1 billion to help stabilize its economy, with an additional $3 billion to be made available through the Export-Import Bank, as an invasion from Russia loomed. Canada also provided Ukraine with a loan equivalent to $392.9 million USD.
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Under the guise of what Russian President Vladimir Putin called a “special military operation,” troops began to invade Ukrainian territory early Thursday morning, starting a bloody attack on its neighbor that has already claimed the lives of dozens.
