NATO chief: Russian military losses significant but still formidable
American Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the Commander of NATO's Allied Forces in Europe, discussed the Russians' losses during the war in Ukraine. According to the military officer, these losses are significant, but despite this, the Kremlin still possesses "dangerous combat forces," as he remarked in an interview with the Atlantic Council.
Estimates from Western intelligence suggest that approximately 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine. However, Gen. Christopher Cavoli believes that the Russian military operating in Ukraine and the strikes they deliver there should be viewed in the context of their entire structure.
The Russian army remains significant
Despite the losses suffered by ground forces, which the Kremlin is still rebuilding, Russia still has dangerous combat forces that were scarcely affected by the conflict. This primarily refers to strategic missile forces, long-range aviation, and submarine capabilities. Moreover, most of Russia's tactical aviation has not been involved in the conflict.
"So while there have been significant, significant losses in the ground domain, in the rest of the military structure of Russia, there remains a huge amount of capability – both conventional and nuclear – and so it's necessary to keep that in mind," Gen. Christopher Cavoli warned.
During the interview, the military officer also mentioned Russian problems with the quality of military equipment and the fact that some of it is not the latest technology. Another issue for the Russians is corruption, which affects army training. Despite these issues, Russia continues to plan to rebuild its ground forces and deploy them along the NATO border. As Gen. Cavoli noted, "This is a plan they have already implemented and talked about. We have to take it seriously."
The Defense Romania portal refers to another interview with Gen. Cavoli he gave to Germany's Der Spiegel. During that conversation, the military officer said that regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, the Russian army would be stronger after the conflict than it is now. Therefore, it cannot be underestimated. "The Russian armed forces are learning, they are improving, they are applying the experience gained at war," the general added.
