Russian army to overtake United States as world’s second largest

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/09/17/russian-army-overtake-us-as-worlds-second-largest/

32 Comments

  1. ***The Telegraph reports:***

    The Kremlin said that it is growing its army to be the second largest in the world as a result of the [threat from the West](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/26/russia-war-nato-usa-troops-tanks-missiles-numbers-ukraine/).

    Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree ordering the regular size of the Russian army to be [increased by 180,000](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/08/25/vladimir-putin-orders-russian-army-increase-troops-137000/) troops to 1.5 million active servicemen.

    The International Institute for Strategic Studies, a military think tank, said the increase would result in Moscow’s armed forces leapfrogging both India and the US to become only second to China in size.

    Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, said: “This is due to the number of threats that exist to our country along the perimeter of our borders.

    “It is caused by the extremely hostile environment on our western borders and instability on our eastern borders. This demands appropriate measures to be taken.”

    **Read more:** [**https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/09/17/russian-army-overtake-us-as-worlds-second-largest/**](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/09/17/russian-army-overtake-us-as-worlds-second-largest/)

  2. maybe in terms of number of troops, what with their draft and all.

    i would wager that US troops have better equipment and training than those comrades

  3. **Place your bets**: ~2Million raggedy-ass convicts, farmers and teenagers using 1970’s technology VS ~2Million trained soldiers with cutting-edge technology.

  4. HermionesWetPanties on

    They’re talking quantity, not quality.

    It’s embarrassing to read this kinda bullshit after 2022. Size only matters if you know how to use it. Ukraine cuckholding Russia highlights the advantage of motivation as well as western materiel and training. Send more lambs to the slaughter. The abattoir is open 24/7.

  5. Moscow is running an army that can’t even wage a “special military operation” against land they controlled 30 years ago for literally centuries. Putin running an army that suffered more military casualties since the army of Saddam Hussein.

    Bigger isn’t always better.

  6. Nonsense_Producer on

    Second largest what? Certainly not an army. More of a hodgepodge collection of drunkards, junkies, prisoners and mentally ill. “Hey, look! We have the largest collection of unmotivated, ill equipped, ill fed people that totally lacks discipline and are useless as soldiers!”

  7. I mean put on a fight between 5 UFC fighters vs 10 normal people and my money would be on the UFC guys. Numbers don’t always win

  8. Oh yes and all trained to be the absolute embodiment of human excellence! That is, the most excellent……. Do I need a sarcasm tag?

  9. pumping up numbers with ill trained 18 year old conscripts who die in first month of the war doesnt really make a army ”good’.

    Saddam Hussein also had similar ”largest army in Middle East”. When met with actual competent enemy, that army crumbled in less than 3 months and disappeared into nothing

  10. Great example of how meaningless raw numbers are without context.

    It’s like measuring naval forces by counting ships, where a littoral patrol boat carries the same weight as an aircraft carrier.

    Btw, advance condolences to the families of those lured from destitute countries with the promise of steady work in Russia, only to be dumped at the front lines in Ukraine with little training and even less of a chance of returning home in one piece with a pulse.

  11. I almost choked on water at this comedic statement.

    ​

    Isn’t essentially everyone in NK in the army too? In millions?