Russia's military retains dangerous forces barely touched by Ukraine conflict Top US general in Europe warns

Commander of US European Command, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, has stated that while Russia has incurred substantial losses in Ukraine, it still possesses formidable combat forces that have largely remained unaffected by the conflict.

"The Russian military we see operating in Ukraine, and the punches it's been taking, has to be viewed in the context of their entire military structure," Cavoli said, as reported by Caliber.Az, citing foreign media.

Cavoli, who also serves as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, noted that Russia retains forces that "have been barely touched" by the Ukraine war, including long-range aviation, strategic rocket forces, defensive units, and undersea assets.

He emphasised that much of Moscow's tactical air force has yet to be deployed 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," Cavoli said during a video interview with the think tank.

Throughout the conflict, Russia has sought to showcase its military capabilities beyond Ukraine by conducting submarine exercises in the Baltic Sea, increasing undersea activity in the Atlantic, flying military aircraft alongside China near Alaska, executing nuclear readiness drills, and testing new long-range ballistic missiles.

However, these military displays come amid Russia's setbacks in Ukraine; what President Vladimir Putin anticipated as a quick and decisive victory has turned into a protracted and bloody conflict approaching the three-year mark. Western intelligence estimates indicate that Russia has incurred well over 600,000 casualties since the onset of the war in Ukraine, averaging more than 1,200 losses each day — a trend likely to persist. Additionally, Moscow is believed to have lost a significant amount of military equipment, including thousands of tanks and armored vehicles. 

Cavoli noted during the Atlantic Council interview that while Russia's ground forces have faced severe losses in Ukraine, Moscow has made significant efforts to rebuild them. 

By Naila Huseynova