Open-source order of battle for 2026: 1,100,000 active troops, 4,300 aircraft, 447 warships, 16,935 ground vehicles, 5,459 nuclear warheads.
| Domain | Strength | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Russian Air Force | 4,300 aircraft | 1,524 combat 120 bombers 1,604 helicopters 96 air bases +677 on order |
| Russian Navy | 447 warships | 78 major combatants 2 carriers 60 submarines |
| Ground Forces | 16,935 vehicles | 5,750 main battle tanks |
| Nuclear Forces | 5,459 warheads | 1,718 deployed Air, Sea, Land Active |
| Personnel | 1,100,000 active | 1,500,000 reserve 559,000 paramilitary |
| Pillar | Weight | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manpower | 15% | 95.5 | Active, reserve & paramilitary personnel |
| Ground forces | 20% | 82.0 | Tanks, armor & artillery weighted by type |
| Naval power | 20% | 83.9 | Weighted by hull type: carrier tiers, nuclear vs conventional submarines |
| Air power | 25% | 86.9 | Weighted by aircraft type and fleet age |
| Nuclear deterrent | 10% | 100.0 | Warhead count with delivery-mode modifiers |
| Defense budget | 10% | 89.9 | Annual spending, purchasing-power adjusted |
| Readiness | modifier | ×1.09 | Budget per soldier: proxy for training, maintenance & technology |
| Population | 143.5M (2024) |
| GDP | $2.2 trillion (2024) |
| GDP per capita | $15,145 |
| Military budget | $152.2 billion (2024) |
| Share of GDP | 7.0% (2024) |
| Military spending per capita | $1,060 (2024) |
| Inflation rate | 8.43% (2024) |
| Capital | Moscow |
| Region | Europe |
| Land area | 16,378,410 km² |
| Coastline | 37,653 km |
| Land borders | 20,017 km |
| Bordering countries | 14 |
| Currency | RUB |
Russia’s security policy is defined by its 2025 National Security Strategy and Military Doctrine, which identify NATO’s eastward expansion and the deployment of high-precision non-nuclear weapons systems near its borders as primary threats. Russia maintains a military alliance through the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and shares a unified regional air defense system and integrated military grouping with Belarus under the Union State framework.
The military posture focuses on the "near abroad" (former Soviet republics) and the Arctic, where Russia maintains the Northern Fleet and a network of refurbished Soviet-era bases. Defense priorities include the maintenance of a nuclear triad to ensure strategic deterrence and the transition to a long-term high-intensity conventional warfare footing. Territorial defense is organized into five military districts: Leningrad, Moscow, Southern, Central, and Eastern, with the Leningrad and Moscow districts re-established in 2024 to address the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO.
The Russian Armed Forces are organized into three main branches and two independent arms of service. Total active personnel is approximately 1.5 million, supported by a reserve force and paramilitary units including the National Guard (Rosgvardiya) and the Border Service of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
Russia’s defense sector is largely state-controlled through the Rostec Corporation, which oversees conglomerates such as United Aircraft Corporation, United Shipbuilding Corporation, and Almaz-Antey. The industry is characterized by high levels of self-sufficiency in heavy armor, missile technology, and air defense systems.
Domestic production has shifted to 24-hour operations to sustain equipment requirements for ongoing operations. Key products include the Su-35 fighter, T-90M tank, and the S-400 air defense system. While Russia remains a major global arms exporter, 2025-2026 programs emphasize domestic delivery over foreign contracts. Import substitution programs are active to replace Western-sourced microelectronics and precision components with domestic or non-Western alternatives.
Military development in 2025 and 2026 is characterized by an increase in defense spending, which accounts for approximately 6% to 7% of GDP. Force structure is shifting from the previous Battalion Tactical Group (BTG) model back to large-scale divisional and corps structures intended for sustained conventional operations.
Modernization priorities include:
The United States and Russia hold 27 of the world's 45 operational ballistic missile submarines. Five other navies field the remaining 18, and every established fleet is being replaced at the same time.
Ukraine's Security Service says long-range drones hit a Project 12418 missile boat, the sanctioned freighters Port Olya 2 and Begey and a Lukoil oil platform on the night of July 25, 2026. Iran says one of its sailors was killed.
A Su-57 fifth-generation fighter crashed in the Odintsovo district west of Moscow on July 23 shortly after taking off from Kubinka Air Base, Russian media reported; the pilot ejected safely.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 21, 2026 that a Ukrainian F-16 had shot down a Russian fighter, the first air-to-air kill for the type in Ukrainian service.
A Ukrainian Navy Sargan-3000 naval drone sank the Russian FSB patrol ship Izumrud pier-side at Gelendzhik on July 14, 2026, less than 15 miles from a Black Sea compound reputed to be linked to Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine's Security Service says its long-range drones flew some 800 km to strike Engels-2 air base in Saratov Oblast overnight on July 16, severing the tail of a Tu-95MS bomber used to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine.