How good is Russia's military? We know that it was quite good before the fall of the Soviet Union, but how has it fared since? At it's peak, the Russian military boasted 4.5 million personnel. Since the fall, it has been pared down to about a million personnel with about 700,000 full time members. It is also estimated that half that number are conscripts. That leaves about 300-400,000 well trained military personnel (of which 40,000 are massed at the Ukraine border). Experts seem to agree that taking Ukraine would not be difficult for Russian Military forces, but any action beyond that will probably put too much strain on their capabilities. In other words, Russia can take southern Ukraine, but not much more. Russia used to be a formidable foe, but years of neglect, budget cuts, and corruption have left it a shadow of what it once was.
What do you think?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/04/28/russia-putin-crimea-ukraine/8428309/
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