The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) has published the introductory text of one of the sections of the upcoming The Military Balance 2025 report on its website, which outlines some details regarding the defense capabilities of Ukraine, Russia, and other countries in the former USSR region.
A key detail that caught attention is that the IISS authors reference data indicating that the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have several Su-24M bombers adapted for Western cruise missiles Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG, while we are also expecting to receive long-range AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles for the F-16.
The full text of this IISS review can be read at this link, where further details are worth noting. For instance, the authors mention that "the Ukrainian Air Force continued to be operational," utilizing MiG-29 and Su-27 aircraft for air defense and strikes against Russian occupying forces, employing AGM-88 HARM missiles and Western precision-guided bombs.
Meanwhile, the available F-16s in the Ukrainian Armed Forces were also used for air defense tasks during massive missile and drone strikes by Russia against critical infrastructure in our country.
However, when discussing capabilities for conducting ground combat operations, the IISS infographic on the estimated strength of the armed forces of Russia, Ukraine, and post-Soviet countries draws particular attention.
Although the specific timeframe for which this graphic was created is not mentioned, it clearly illustrates at least two things. First, Russia has a significant advantage in the number of armed forces compared to our country, and second, the number of armed forces in other countries in the region appears negligible in comparison to Ukraine and Russia.
Another interesting infographic presented by the IISS in its material is the increase in military expenditures that occurred in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022-2023.
This infographic demonstrates not only the importance of the defense support provided by the West to Ukraine, especially considering that Russia had a military budget several times larger, but also indicates that among the countries in the region, only Kazakhstan formally did not increase its military expenditures, despite acquiring a significant number of new Russian-made Su-30SM aircraft.
An interesting paradox is that other Central Asian countries were able to increase their defense spending by profiting from the transit of various goods to Russia, including "dual-use goods."