GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Head-to-head

Military Strength: Flag of Russia Russia vs Flag of Ukraine Ukraine

Russia (ranked #3 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Ukraine (#25) on the ARMS Index. Russia fields 1,454,000 active troops — 4.9:1 Ukraine's 298,000, backed by 1,500,000 reserves and 559,000 paramilitary. Russia allocates $152B to defense compared to $84B for Ukraine.

ARMS (Aggregate Rating of Military Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Russia RussiaWorld #3 82.7
ARMS Index / 100

Russia leads on 6 of 6 pillars

Flag of Ukraine UkraineWorld #25 48.9
  • 95.51.5M active troops Manpower15 % 92.6298K active troops
  • 82.05,750 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 68.31,114 battle tanks
  • 83.5447 warships Naval power20 % 21.741 warships
  • 87.21,524 combat aircraft Air power25 % 52.3137 combat aircraft
  • 100.05,420 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 89.9$152B budget Defense budget10 % 83.8$84B budget
Russia Ukraine Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×1.09 vs ×1.06 · Methodology
Key figures
Russia Ukraine Ratio
Defense budget $152B $84B 🇷🇺 1.8×
– share of GDP 7.0% 39.6% 🇺🇦 5.7×
Active personnel 1,454,000 298,000 🇷🇺 4.9×
Combat aircraft 1,524 137 🇷🇺 11×
Warships 447 41 🇷🇺 11×
– submarines 60 0 🇷🇺
Main battle tanks 5,750 1,114 🇷🇺 5.2×
Nuclear warheads 5,420 0 🇷🇺
Show full breakdown · 14 more rowsHide the 14 extra rows
Reserve troops 1,500,000 900,000 🇷🇺 1.7×
Paramilitary forces 559,000 250,000 🇷🇺 2.2×
Military aircraft (all types) 5,378 342 🇷🇺 16×
– helicopters 1,604 136 🇷🇺 12×
– bombers 120 0 🇷🇺
Aircraft carriers 2 0 🇷🇺
Deployed warheads 1,796 0 🇷🇺
Budget share of govt spending — 62.9% 🇺🇦
Budget per capita $1,060 $2,197 🇺🇦 2.1×
Population 143.5M 37.9M 🇷🇺 3.8×
GDP $2.2T $191B 🇷🇺 11×
GDP per capita $15,145 $5,038 🇷🇺 3.0×
Land area 16,378,410 km² 579,300 km² 🇷🇺 28×
Coastline 37,653 km 2,782 km 🇷🇺 14×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇷🇺 RussiaSu-27 Flanker ×468T-72 ×1,470Improved Kilo-class ×10
🇺🇦 UkraineMiG-29 Fulcrum ×45T-72 ×520
Defense budget history Russia ×2.5 · Ukraine ×9.5 since 2020
Military personnel history

Analyst Assessment

Run the wargame simulation →
Verdict
Edge: Russia

Russia holds a decisive material advantage over Ukraine in mass, strategic depth and every high-end domain — air power, naval forces and a 5,420-warhead nuclear arsenal Ukraine does not possess. Ukraine offsets part of that gap through mobilised manpower, Western-supplied precision systems and allied support, but cannot match Russian scale unaided.

Domain by domain
Air power Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 RussiaAbout 4,300 aircraft including 1,524 combat types and 120 bombers; Su-35S, Su-34 and Su-30SM backbone alongside 468 Su-27-family airframes, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic aviation, plus 1,604 helicopters.
🇺🇦 UkraineRoughly 342 aircraft, 137 combat, no bombers; a shrinking Soviet-legacy MiG-29 (45) and Su-27/Su-24 fleet supplemented by donated F-16s and Mirage 2000-5, flown cautiously under dense mutual air defense.
Ground forces Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 RussiaAround 5,750 main battle tanks led by T-72B3M, T-80BVM and T-90M, mass artillery (2S19 Msta-S, Tornado-S) and Iskander-M; doctrine centred on firepower, echeloned pressure and materiel substitution for finesse.
🇺🇦 UkraineSome 1,114 tanks, mostly T-64BV/T-72 (520) with limited Leopard 2, Abrams and Challenger 2 fleets; Western artillery (M777, PzH 2000, CAESAR, HIMARS) and heavy drone integration compensate for lower tube and armour counts.
Naval power Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia447 hulls including carrier-capable aviation ships, 60 submarines and Kalibr-armed surface and subsurface strike platforms across four fleets; Black Sea access is constrained but sea-denial and land-attack capacity remain intact.
🇺🇦 Ukraine41 mostly light craft, no submarines or major surface combatants; effect achieved through coastal anti-ship missiles, uncrewed surface vessels and mining rather than a conventional fleet.
Nuclear deterrent Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia5,420 warheads with 1,796 deployed across a full triad — silo and mobile ICBMs, SSBNs and strategic aviation; doctrine treats the arsenal as the ultimate guarantor of territorial and regime survival.
🇺🇦 UkraineNo nuclear weapons; deterrence rests entirely on conventional deep-strike capability, partner intelligence and the political commitments of nuclear-armed backers.
Defense industry & budget Edge: Russia
🇷🇺 Russia$152.2B, about 7% of a $2,174B GDP, on a wartime footing; domestic plants sustain armour refurbishment, missile and drone output, though precision components remain exposed to sanctions.
🇺🇦 Ukraine$84.1B equals 39.6% of a $191B GDP — unsustainable without external financing; rapidly expanding drone, 2S22 Bohdana and long-range strike production, but dependent on allied funding and munitions.
Wildcards
  • External support dependency Ukraine's budget, air defense interceptors and long-range fires rest heavily on G7 and European supply. Sustained flows narrow the gap markedly; interruption would expose the structural imbalance in mass and munitions within months.
  • Manpower attrition curves Russia fields 1,454,000 active personnel against Ukraine's 298,000 plus 900,000 reserves. Ukraine's smaller 37.9-million population base makes mobilisation quality and rotation, not raw numbers, the binding constraint.
  • Drone and deep strike Uncrewed systems are the one domain approaching symmetry. Ukrainian long-range drones and naval USVs reach refineries, airbases and fleet anchorages, imposing costs disproportionate to Ukraine's conventional weight.
Outlook
ScenarioShort warProtracted war
Conventional 🇷🇺 Russian mass and fires dominate early 🇷🇺 Depth and industry favour Russia absent aid
Hybrid/Asymmetric Even Drones and deep strike roughly offset Even Ukrainian innovation balances Russian scale
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Air forces Navies Armies Ranks & insignia Wargame simulator
Change opponent
Russia vsUnited StatesChinaPolandFinlandNorway
Ukraine vsPolandIranBelarusSwedenGreece
Related comparisons & rankings
Strongest militaries in the world (2026) Coalition Builder: compare alliances & blocs
Editorial assessment produced from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has approximately 1,454,000 active military personnel compared to Ukraine's 298,000, giving Russia a 4.9:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia operates 1,524 combat aircraft compared to Ukraine's 137. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has a larger navy with 447 vessels compared to Ukraine's 41 ships. Russia operates 60 submarines while Ukraine has 0.
Which country spends more on defense, Russia or Ukraine?
Russia has a larger defense budget at $152.2 billion (1.8:1 more) compared to Ukraine's $84.1 billion annually.
Do Russia and Ukraine have nuclear weapons?
Russia possesses nuclear weapons with approximately 5,420 warheads, while Ukraine does not have nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Russia and Ukraine compare?
Russia operates 5,750 main battle tanks compared to Ukraine's 1,114. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.