The Kremlin is banking on submarines and experimental nuclear weapons to compensate for what a high-ranking Norwegian military official describes as a gap in conventional military strength between Moscow and NATO countries, reports Business Insider.
Vice Admiral Rune Andersen, head of Norway’s Joint Headquarters, stated that the “inherent asymmetry” between Russian armed forces and the combined armies of the 32 NATO member states has led the Kremlin to prioritize unconventional capabilities, particularly in the maritime and nuclear fields.
“We are facing a broad set of challenges,” Andersen said in a recent interview.
Russia has approximately 1.1 million active military personnel — while the United States alone has about 1.3 million military personnel. Meanwhile, the war in Ukraine has caused significant losses of personnel and equipment for Moscow.
British intelligence services estimate that Russia has suffered up to 1.2 million casualties since the beginning of the invasion. NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, recently stated that 65,000 Russian soldiers were killed just in December and January, and American assessments indicate that Moscow is recruiting between 30,000 and 40,000 military personnel per month — figures that, according to analysts, barely compensate for battlefield losses.
Rutte noted that such a level of attrition is not sustainable in the long term.
Russia’s equipment losses have also been substantial. Ukrainian forces have reportedly damaged or destroyed dozens of Russian warships, hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of armored vehicles since the beginning of the conflict.
Despite these losses and NATO’s conventional superiority, the alliance’s military leaders continue to view Russia as a serious threat — particularly because of its asymmetric capabilities.
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