Russia's Military Bigger Since Launch Of Ukraine Attack But Quality Has Decreased, Says Top NATO Official

A senior NATO military official stated that Russian land forces have expanded but diminished in quality since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The land forces of Russia have grown in size since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but their overall quality has declined, a senior NATO military official stated on Monday.

"The quality of those forces has gone down," said Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of NATO's Military Committee, highlighting issues with the troops' equipment and training levels.

Emphasising the importance of increasing investment into the defence industry, he told the news agency Reuters, "At the moment, the Russians are not the same threat as in February 2022, so we have a bit of time to prepare ourselves."

Russia Launches Ballistic Missile At Ukraine

Russia launched a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday (November 21). The offensive came in response to the US and UK allowing Kyiv to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons, further escalating the 33-month-old war. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin issued his warning that more could follow. "A regional conflict in Ukraine previously provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global character," Putin said in a televised address, reported Reuters.

 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the use of a new missile by Russia, calling it a "clear and severe escalation" in the ongoing war and urging strong international condemnation.

Russia had notified Washington shortly before it launched the strike, said a US official while another said that the US had briefed Ukraine and allies to prepare for the possible use of such a weapon. 

Initially, Ukrainian authorities suggested that Russia had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a weapon intended for long-range nuclear strikes and not previously used in the conflict.

However, U.S. and NATO officials clarified that the weapon was an intermediate-range ballistic missile with a shorter range of 3,000–5,500 km (1,860–3,415 miles), aligning with President Putin's description.

Tensions have further escalated in recent days as Ukraine launched U.S. and British missiles at targets inside Russia, despite warnings from Moscow that such actions would be viewed as a significant escalation.