The West’s Worst Nightmare: Putin’s Army Is Getting Stronger—And Ukraine Can’t Stop It

As the conflict approaches its fourth year since Russia’s launch of the "special military operation" against Ukraine, Moscow continues to maintain clear military dominance across multiple fronts, while Ukraine finds itself grappling with growing internal pressures. These domestic challenges have fueled widespread public dissatisfaction with Ukrainian leadership—particularly President Zelensky and his policies.


To understand the core reasons behind Russia’s continued strength in the war, despite multifaceted pressure from the United States and the West—including repeated threats of increased sanctions—it’s essential to recognize the structural advantage of the Russian military. With more than 3.5 million personnel, comprising 1.32 million active-duty soldiers, 2 million reservists, and over 250,000 paramilitary forces, Russia enjoys both quantitative and qualitative superiority over Ukraine. This manpower advantage has granted the Kremlin the confidence necessary to sustain and expand its military campaign.

In conventional and modern land warfare, the availability of fresh troops is one of the key pillars of continued success. In this regard, Russia’s ability to effectively recruit and deploy new personnel has proven vital. In the first quarter of 2025, Russia’s military recruitment rate increased by 22%, reflecting the Kremlin’s success in mobilizing reinforcements and expanding its operational frontlines. In parallel, the involvement of foreign personnel from Central Asian allies, as well as nations sympathetic to Russia’s geopolitical stance—such as Syria, Nepal, India, North Korea, and Cuba—has added an international dimension to Moscow’s combat force.

Another critical factor in sustaining this military edge is the ability to maintain high troop morale and readiness. Generous financial incentives have played a significant role in this effort. Notably, bonuses of up to 4 million rubles have been offered in certain regions, substantially boosting motivation among new recruits and ensuring that Russia can meet the manpower demands necessary to maintain superiority over a beleaguered Ukrainian military.


In contrast, Ukraine, facing a severe shortage of troops, has become increasingly dependent on Western military and financial aid. This includes integrated air defense systems, anti-tank and anti-personnel missiles, HIMARS mobile artillery systems, Leopard tanks, and combat drones. However, these contributions pale in comparison to Russia’s overwhelming arsenal, which includes mass-produced artillery, rocket launchers, drones, ammunition, and tanks—giving Moscow a decisive edge in terms of firepower and logistics.

Early in the war, Western media had sought to portray Western sanctions and pressure—led by the United States—as capable of crippling Russia’s economy. Yet over three years later, President Putin has largely shrugged off these threats, including from figures like Donald Trump, relying instead on Russia’s military and economic resilience. Contrary to Western analysts' expectations, the Russian economy did not collapse. In fact, Russia experienced a 4.3% GDP growth in 2024, triggering a wave of domestic support for the Kremlin’s deterrent policies and enhancing public morale under an economic resistance model.


It has now become clear that Moscow’s strategies of deterrence and economic resistance—through increasing its foreign currency reserves, reducing dependence on the West, fully supporting domestic production, expanding and strengthening trade with the East, leveraging multilateral alliances such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization under the emerging global order, as well as increasing the use of alternative payment systems outside U.S.-dominated Western methods, and adopting new methods for exporting oil and gas that have effectively neutralized sanctions—have all served as strategic advantages for Russia.

In conclusion, Russia’s ongoing military superiority—despite continued Western pressure and Europe’s unwavering support for the Kyiv regime—is the result not only of timely troop mobilization and military confrontation, but also of strategic battlefield management, optimal use of defensive assets, well-timed deterrent policies, and the successful application of economic resilience tactics. By disregarding Western threats and capitalizing on its domestic and international strengths, Moscow has thus far maintained its upper hand in the Ukraine conflict.


Unless there is a fundamental shift in the battlefield situation in favor of Ukraine, the likelihood of the Kremlin ending the war—without securing its desired gains or at least maintaining the status quo—remains slim.


*Translated by Ashraf Hemmati from the original Persian article written by Navid Daneshvar