The head of NATO's Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, made this statement, as reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters. This information is provided by Kontrakty.UA.
"The quality of these forces has diminished," Bauer stated.
He pointed out the condition of the forces' equipment and the level of soldiers' training.
"Currently, the Russians do not pose the same threat as they did in February 2022, so we have little time to prepare," he added, emphasizing the need to increase investments in the defense industry.
The Russian Army
Recall that Vladimir Putin ordered an increase in the size of the Russian army by 180,000 to 1.5 million personnel starting December 1, 2024.
According to a source in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian grouping in Ukraine currently numbers about 574-575 thousand personnel. Moscow aimed to increase this number to 690,000 by the end of this year, but primarily due to significant losses, they were unable to achieve this.
Currently, there is a 11,000-strong contingent of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. Overall, the Russian grouping in the Kursk region now totals 59,000.
Since the beginning of the war, Russia has lost over 700,000 people