Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated significantly since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and tensions have further escalated since Russia's involvement in the Syrian war.
According to Business Insider, the Russian military has taken on a completely different face since President Vladimir Putin's re-election in 2012. Now, Russia has the world's fourth-largest defense budget at $66.4 billion, and a force of 845,000 soldiers, 22,550 tanks, and 1,399 fighter jets.
The Russian armed forces are divided into small, highly mobile groups, while their weapons are becoming increasingly modern thanks to the Russian government's focus on technological development. Below are 11 of the most formidable military assets that Russia currently possesses.
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| Bora-class guided missile destroyer:Equipped with 8 Mosquito missiles and 20 other anti-aircraft missiles, the ship has a crew of 68 and a top speed of 100 km/h. |
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| Pantsir-S1 missile system:As a short- and medium-range air defense system, the Pantsir-S1 consists of 12 surface-to-air guided missiles and two 30mm anti-aircraft guns used to intercept enemy fighter jets, helicopters, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. |
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| Stealth submarines:The Novorosiysk, the first of six planned stealth diesel-powered submarines, was launched last year at a shipyard in St. Petersburg. The design firm stated that enemy radar would be unable to detect the Novorosiysk once it had submerged. |
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| MiG-35 multirole fighter aircraft:Effective in both air combat and ground attack situations, the MiG-35 can reach speeds of up to 2,400 km/h despite its larger size compared to its predecessors. The aircraft can destroy all targets from a distance, engage enemy aircraft, and perform reconnaissance missions. |
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| Buk-2 missile system:This is believed to be the weapon that shot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014. Its 9M317 missile carries a 70kg warhead, can reach speeds of Mach 3, and strike targets at an altitude of 14,000m. |
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| RS-24 Yars missile:This is an intercontinental ballistic missile, equipped with multiple nuclear warheads and with a maximum range of up to 16,000 km. Designed to replace the Topol-M missile, it has been in service since 2010. Each missile has a destructive power 100 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. |
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| Tupolev Tu-160 aircraft:Dubbed the "Russian Concorde," it is currently the world's largest supersonic military aircraft. Designed by former Soviet engineers in the 1980s, the Tu-160 is equipped with more powerful engines than any other aircraft and can carry 40 tons of various weapons. Russia currently has 16 of them. |
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| T-90 tank:Currently, this is the most modern main battle tank that Russia possesses (before the T-14 Armata is put into service in the future). Its main armament is a 125mm cannon along with various anti-tank weapons, and it is also equipped with a remotely controlled anti-aircraft machine gun. |
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| Borei-class submarines:This state-of-the-art Russian submarine is equipped with 16 Bulava ballistic missiles, each fitted with 6 to 10 warheads and a range of up to 8,300 km. This is one of the weapons systems that Western countries are always wary of. |
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| Mi-28 combat helicopter:This is a type of helicopter used by the Russian Air Force and Army. It is equipped with a 30mm Shipunov automatic machine gun, along with four anti-tank missiles or rockets of various types. |
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| S-300 air defense missile system:This is one of Russia's most formidable weapons. Equipped with 12 missiles, it can destroy six aircraft simultaneously within a range of 300km. |
According to tintuc.vn
