In spite of Russia's perceived military strength, as recorded in various assessments, deficiencies have been noted in the country's combat performance on both the tactical and operational scales. According to multiple reports, endemic corruption within the Russian Armed Forces has had a major impact on Russia's ability to effectively project hard power.[19][20][21] Amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, severe logistical failures have greatly impacted the operational performance of Russian troops, as different service branches have struggled to coordinate and work together. Continuous shortcomings have led Russia's war effort to suffer extensive setbacks since the initial invasion; the Russian Armed Forces have experienced successive losses of occupied/annexed territory, the large-scale destruction and squandering of their equipment, and a notably high casualty rate.[22][23][24] Researchers from the U.S.-funded RAND Corporation have observed that Russia continues to struggle with military professionalization.[25] By July 2024, according to the Supreme Commander of NATO Allied Forces Europe Christopher Cavoli: "The Russians are very cleverly adapting technologically and procedurally to many of the challenges that they run into in Ukraine".[26] Cavoli also said in April 2024 that the Russian military has replaced its troop and equipment losses and is larger than it was before the start of the conflict.[27] On June 26, 2024, the UK-based Royal United Services Institutethink tank reported that Russia continues to increase the production and sophistication of its main weapons as the Western sanctions failed to have a material impact so far but its defense industry remained highly dependent on foreign imports of critical components.[28] The Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi said on 24 July 2024 that Russians were much better resourced now but also suffer three times higher losses than Ukraine.[29]
^Masters, Jonathan (28 September 2015). "The Russian Military". Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
Cite error: There are <ref group=Note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=Note}} template (see the help page). Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).