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Military might: Comparing Russian and Ukrainian capabilities

by Ehab Zahriyeh @EhabZ March 5, 2014 5:00PM ET

By the numbers, Putin's military is far superior to his western neighbor's

Topics:
Ukraine Crisis
Russia
Military
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A Russian soldier patrols as Russian army forces block the road with armored vehicles when nearly 200 Ukrainian army forces came close to the Sevastopol military airport near Russia's Black Sea Fleet Base, Crimea on Tuesday.
Bulent Doruk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Click for more on Kiev's conflict

The semi-autonomous Crimea region of Ukraine, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is stationed, is now in Russian control despite warnings from Kiev's new government and Western nations. Though Russian troops have not fired a single bullet to take over the peninsula, their might is far superior to Ukraine's military.

Russia's annual defense budget is greater than Ukraine’s; it also has more troops, reserves and advanced weaponry.

If the standoff escalates and the two nations go to war, Ukraine’s military is unlikely to be able to defend its eastern borders. Here, a look at both forces, by the numbers:

Russia has 845,000 troops. That's more than six times the number of Ukraine's 129,950 troops, according to International Institute of Strategic Studies.

Russia has more than double the number of tanks, with 2,550 compared to Ukraine's 1,110. The differnce in strength is even more stark with advanced weaponry. Ukraine only owns one submarine compared to Russia's 64, and only 11 Navy vessels compared to 116. 

Russia has more than six times the number of aircrafts with combat capabilites than Ukraine, with 1,389 and 221 respectively, according to IISS. 

The strength of Russia's military stems from consistent government spending. In 2013, the country's defense budget was almost $70 billion, 36 times larger than Ukraine's spending of $1.9 billion. In 2012, Russia's budget was more than $90 billion.