What's Next for the Russian Military?

USSR Military vs. Russian Military

Over the last ten years the Russian military has shrunk from a world superpower to a shadow of its former glory. Here are some figures that show the degree of the Russian military's decline.

Note that the USSR's population in 1989 was 288.7 million, compared to a 2001 Russian population of 145.4 million people. Also, the USSR's gross domestic product was US$1,100 billion in 1990, compared with Russia's US$241 billion in 2000, according to the World Bank Group.

  USSR
1989 
Russia
1999  
General
  Total Troops 4.7 million 1.1 million
  Military Budget US$271 billion US$7 billion
Ground Forces
  Personnel 1,900,000 420,000
  Tanks 53,350 5,559
Air Forces
  Personnel 448,000 210,000
  Combat Aircraft 5,130 1,855
  Fighters 1,885 415
  Fighter Bombers 2,475 725
Naval Forces
  Personnel 437,000 180,000
  Nuclear Submarines 201 66
  Nonnuclear Submarines 147 31
  Major Surface Warships 264 44
  Combat Aircraft 1,039 329
Nuclear Offensive Forces
  Total Nuclear Warheads 6,938 3,590
  ICBM* 1,451 756
  SLBM** 960 412
  Long-Range Bombers 195 66
 

Note: Figures derived from IISS The Military Balance for 1989-90 (USSR) and 1998-99 (Russia).

*   Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
** Sub-Launched Ballistic Missile