What would happen if the world’s largest country decided it needed extra land and power? What can be it’s most lethal weapon in this invasion? Russia, a country that already accounts for one-eighth of all populated territory in the world, is now focusing its attention on one of its European neighbors, Ukraine. Historically, Ukraine and Russia have been at odds. Russia most recently grabbed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, and funded a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
It now opposes Ukraine’s alliance with NATO, and wants NATO to leave Eastern Europe immediately. Even if Russia isn’t a member of NATO to make such decisions, with one of the world’s most formidable military, Russia may believe it can play by its own rules.
Let’s take a step back. To begin, you may be asking what NATO is. It is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and has 30 members. The United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are among them. NATO’s mission is to keep the peace and to ensure that no member of the alliance is invaded by an international armed force.
When Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, it wasn’t yet a NATO member. However, Ukraine has shown an interest in joining it. And this doesn’t sit right with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin. Putin is noticeably concerned that NATO has been training Ukrainian forces and that certain NATO nations are giving weaponry to their army.
In order to defy this Putin threats to ignite a war. Russia invests heavily in its military, with a $42 billion defense budget. The Russian army has 3.5 million recruits. It also possesses tanks, 13,000 of them. Russia also boasts 27,000 armored vehicles and the world’s most artillery cannons (4,465 in total). Then there are Russia’s nuclear weapons to be concerned about. They were all 6,257 of them. These can be fired from airplanes, submarines, or missiles. However, if Russia decides to launch an attack, it is unlikely to begin on land. Instead, the initial strike would almost certainly come from the air.
This could destroy power plants and bridges, decimate train lines, and ruin the economy of any country targeted. Furthermore, Russia’s naval strength is practically unrivaled. Their nuclear-powered submarines positioned near a coastline alone may constitute a significant danger to anybody considering engaging them. But, of course, this depends on who the targeted country is.
Russia, on the other hand, has its own group of allies. It is a signatory to the Collective Security Treaty Organization, abbreviated as CSTO. This is a NATO-like coalition comprising six former Soviet nations, Cuba being one of them. And, if things get very heated, Cuba will be a central staging area for Russian soldiers aiming to inflict harm on American territory.
It’s terrifying to have 100,000 Russian troops on your doorstep. In the case of Ukraine, it might bring the country’s economy to a halt. They might, however, do it with minimum ground forces. War is also not being fought in the same way it was even a decade ago. It can be much more subtle yet way more violent.
