The war against Ukraine has weakened Russia’s ability to fight NATO — the Pentagon
This is stated in a new report to the US Congress prepared by the inspectors general of the Pentagon, the State Department and the US Agency for International Development.
According to US military intelligence (DIA), despite ramping up defence production and attempts to rebuild the army following heavy losses, Russia faces serious problems with military training, logistics and ammunition supplies.
The document emphasises that it was the war in Ukraine that forced the Kremlin to scale back or slow down some of its military plans, particularly in the Arctic.
Russia has been unable to increase the size of its Arctic ground forces as planned by 2022, although it continues to develop infrastructure in the north – particularly in the Leningrad Military District following Finland and Sweden’s accession to NATO.
US analysts also believe that the current state of the Russian army limits its ability to conduct intensive combat operations against ‘NATO’s well-resourced defences’.
The report also addresses Russia’s economic problems. The US believes that the war is placing an increasing strain on the Russian budget, whilst economic growth is slowing. A further blow has been the reduction in Europe’s dependence on Russian energy supplies, which has weakened Moscow’s economic influence over Alliance countries.
At the same time, the authors of the document acknowledge that Russia has managed to significantly ramp up arms production and has partially adapted to Western sanctions.
According to US estimates, the Russian military-industrial complex continues to operate, in particular thanks to imported components from China – primarily parts for drones and other weapon systems.
It is worth recalling that earlier, during talks in Beijing, Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Vladimir Putin might eventually come to regret the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Follow us on Telegram
