Estonian Intel Chief: Russian military is bigger than before Ukraine war started | Conflict Zone 

Russia's in a war economy atm. Russia’s defence spending has risen to an estimated 7.5% of its GDP. They've massively ramped up their industrial production over the last couple of years, factories producing ammunition, vehicles, and equipment are running around the clock. Despite Western restrictions on Russian oil and gas, the flows of hydrocarbon revenues have kept coming into the state coffers. The military-industrial complex now employs about 3.5 million people, 2.5% of the population. They can't keep it up indefinitely, lets just hope China and others don't unite...

@@Silks- China will not allow Russia to drag it into a war with the West

@@Silks- Small caveat, the overall revenues from fossil fuel sells are indeed continuing, equivalent to 600 million euros per day (down from 900 million euros per day on january 2022, but overall no dramatic decrease). The revenues for the state however, are quite down, as per the Kremlin's numbers, the revenues from oil and gas have gone from 25 trillion rubles in 2021 to 8,8 trillion rubles in 2023. Not exactly certain, but it seems to indicate that the profits on those sells are not nearly as high as they used to be (as that's the part that is being taxed more or less). ps: and the inflation numbers from Russia aren't looking good either. Nothing dramatic yet, but concerning at least for their civilian economy.

@@lepetitroquet9410 Good points

​@Silks- that is how the USSR collapsed, a massively corrupted government with a military industrial complex taking an ever larger share of the economy. Tsarist Russia was doing something similar during WW1, an impoverished population with massive military spending. The opposite is also how the CCP managed to survive, developing its civilian industrial base, putting the emphasis on consumer goods and waiting for the economy to grow before ramping up military spending. China has its eyes on Taiwan and Siberia, a weak, embattled and dependant Russia suits them perfectly. It's as if Russia never learns. Putin is playing 1D chess against himself and he's losing...

Come on you are asking this to the people who cannot come to the conclusion about genders 😂😂😂

Very contradictory assessments

​@@izajahmed8863 Did you know that Russia has the largest LGBT percentage in Europe?

They are both weakened and yet quite lethal. They're getting stronger now that US aid is drying up for the Ukrainians. They will inevitably move on NATO countries when they defeat Ukraine.

It is not about Russia and China being threats, it's about American imperialism and British neo-colonialism. That is why they keep poking both China and Russia to go to war with their neighbours. It was not a mistake that they promised Ukraine to join NATO coz they knew this will push Russia to war, as Russia has been warning for over 20 years. It's not a mistake that they promise Taiwan independence, even though they know China would go to war against that. The US want war to profit America and to create jobs. Europeans on the other hand, are just oblivious sheep to the slaughter, just like Ukranians and Taiwanese.

Putin has no right full claim no anything outside of the Russian borders. So what he say, has no validity.

Because he lied, like he lied befor

Putin is a chronic liar and nobody believes in his words😅

Putin is the boy who lied so many times that nobody believes him when he is telling the truth.

Putin speaks the opposite of what he means. He is a liar just like any politician.

delusions of grandeur napolion pfui einst

You will be in confusion only till you come out of western media narrative. Just now I saw US general and a senator that Russia is getting weak and cannot sustain for very long and West has more resources than Russia. Now you have this dude telling the opposite and west is struggling to keep up with supplies for Ukraine. But I saw a video where shoigu was explaining about weapons production and even putin stated in a clip. By looking at what they said, production grew seven fold and drone are at rate of 10K per day. EU is yet to start drone production and planned to do 1m per year but still less.

Woud you live in Russia?. . in constant danger going war? banned to have opinion on something?... its falling apart.. young people will leave

If only it is true try reading some people like Col .Douglas or Scot Ritter !@@bleo8371

They're saying Russia has more manpower due to mobilization, "NOT more tanks". Don't let pro-Russians twist words as they always do.

Russia is recruiting from around the world, South America, Nepal, Afghanistan...Promising large sums of money, while its people are freezing. Russia purchased 1million missiles from N Korea. Ukraine only received 300K of the1 million missiles promised by Europe. Russia started with a smaller army because it expected to walk into Ukraine like in 2014 after the Russian puppet Yanukovych depleted Ukraines military capability and planted its agents in key positions.

Do you know how basic geopolitics and defence planing works

@@debater452 I do listen to people like Professor John Mearsheimer, Professor Jeffrey Sachs or even military background guys like Colonel Douglas McGregor, but of course unlike them I'm ignorant about geopolitics, just stating what the US government said before/after.

And Putin was dying left and right.

@@trqster All of them are hacks

US could not find more weapons for Ukraine

More bodies not more capability

Fearful shovels 😅😅😅😅😅😅

@@PavolFilek no the republicans blocked US military aid

They all lie !

the only talk of russia attacking nato is coming from nato

@@bjorn1583BS, Russia has repeatedly flaunted their plans for restoring the former borders of USSR.

@@guest1754can you cite a legitimate source that is NOT clearly biased fearmongering media??

@@bjorn1583ahm what, so you forget all the for example threats towards NATO states like Germany throwing nuclear weapons on them? That would be an attack on NATO states.

@@vinylrichiejr.2416 the threat was for any country that ATTACKED russian lands, but l guess you FORGOT that part of the speech

Not Ukraine, they are getting demolished. Russia already destroyed 3 armies. That's why Ukraine is building a 4th with old people, disabled, and women.

Every force has equal and opposite force (if possible). Seems like the West is shooting itself in the foot by sending more funds and weapons into Ukraine. This is a literal stirring up a sleeping bear.

They're saying Russia has more manpower due to mobilization, "NOT more tanks". Don't let pro-Russians twist words as they always do.

say something intelligent

@@steveborgmalta Russias totally not producing new vehicles. All their factories have been destroyed, Russians falling 🤪

Well they still haven’t

@@chrystyanot true. Granted, they still struggle with Ukrainian drones and Western weapons. But the Russians are mobilizing and Russian defense manufacturing is pouring out new tanks, and overhauling older models. Vladimir Putin is looking back to WW 2 as to how to proceed in Ukraine and possibly beyond.

@@chrystya they are now steamrolling the ukrainians so I'd say they have

@@chrystya They just took Ukraine's largest fortress.

You think others will perform better in simmilar situation? i don't think so. Only real war and combat prove all missing parts of moder military combat only USA has capabilities to try everything and adapt fast. European armies are joke.@@chrystya

That's why we're seeing all this now, western leaders argue over everything right down to what a woman is. We're against bully mentality and we look like an easy victim

Yes, we do Europran countries have no intention to expand, people just want peace. If someone want to join the free world, they are wellcome though.

@@suportbghelp4938 "Can u explain me, why same labor in Bulgaria take 4times lower pay than in Germany, for same work.?" What. How is this relevant? Anyway, different standards of living.

God does, women and real men do every time they pick up a baby.

@@wolfgangwiesinger9502 'Europran countries have no intention to expand, people just want peace..... Hmm. So why did you invade Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan ? Liar.

Who said that "cannon-fodder" tactic doesn't work? Eventually opposing side's troops runs out of ammuntion, gets exhausted etc...

@@aleksandraslisauskas2871why didn’t the other side with fodder and shovels do that tho ?

@@aleksandraslisauskas2871is either you watch too much DW or the drugs that you abusing is a good one

⁠@@aleksandraslisauskas2871West should learn cannon fodder tactics from Russia rather than 🐑🐑🐑 tactics of west. 😂

@@rasheedh7043 West with more soldiers will win and lose just one soldier than russia not winning and loosing 500,000. :))

Of course, it's a story for the naive

As a society in general under Putler, Ruzzia has lost and IS losing greatly... they once again will be the very isolated society they were some seventy five years ago. However North Korea, China, Iran etc. are not much to gloat about.

​@@Don_ECHOguyWestern bot...😅😅😅

@@Don_ECHOguyOk bot😂

Slava Ukraine 🇺🇦💛 🇺🇦💙 🇺🇦

​@@Don_ECHOguy NAFO bot cheap call of duty player😂❤

Darwin has been revised meanwile

Or to say mankinds evolved to next level.

😂👍

That's a bad thing?

@@kimjongoof5000always

You must be new to the planet. The rich weren't fighting wars during the Romans. You don't have to talk about war if Putin brings the war to your doorstep, you'll just be dead.

The only people who want war are Putin and his cronies and money is only one of a number of motives they have.

Sometimes that works, other times they just get a dozen of their buddies to ensure you don't have a prayer. If you were given a chance to win, your neighborhood wasn't that tough.

the problem with your analogy is that sometimes a bully was never a bully until they had to be. until someone pushed them to a point that the only way they could get their point across was by using violence. which is what happened since 1991. NATO led by the USA has constantly expanded eastwards and Russia has always maintained that Ukraine in NATO would cross a red line... no one listened to them. there's a big difference between a bully going up to you and bullying your for no reason. but if you and your friends get in a bullies face and they say don't get any closer but you get closer, you should expect to be punched in the face. no?

@@Marinealver maybe in the US where they shoot u in the face for a pair of sneakers yes.. but here in germany its just like he said. defend urself and they will choose other targets (or even better they dont do it to anyone ever again)

Great story man. Meanwhile China is pursuing diplomacy when dealing with other countries and saying, "US, Russia, look at them fighting like grade school children and trying to figure out who's the "bully". Neither the West nor Russia knows when their violent war will end. China's peaceful hand should run the 21st century, amirite?!?"

Playing the victim card

I'm not the one importing western chips via 3rd countries.

@@zurabavaliani8101that’s still a tactic of by passing so called a sanction

@@zurabavaliani8101 dont you mean chinese chips

Those Russian hypersonic shovels...!!

@@jgarbo3541 👍🏽😂

😂😂😂

I agree, this man is on top of his file !! Very impressive !!

Estonian a city country. It's a city , look the size of that such little cat. Those types of countries are dangerous, they are the one who will push the world to its end with a bigger war.

Former soviet republics are loosers allied with US

Tranquilo FBI.

Estonia has I telligence the Russians have weapons of mass destruction🤑

No you didn't, but he doesn't know you so he doesn't care really 😅

Hear hear !

Russia super 🇷🇺💪👍💐

You can bet Putin is grooming a successor who will most likely be much more of a Nationalist hardliner .

No they are not. It is all war mongering to manufacture consent. Europe is in recession and they need to justify war spending, while farmers and citizens are getting mad.

NATO is already fighting a proxy war with Russia via Ukraine. And losing.

Why?

Why do you people think like this.....why won't you leave Russia alone, why is the West so obsessed with Russia

because it lives in existential dread of not having an external villain to blame for all its problems... from cold war , to war on terror , back to Russia...and round and round we go... @@PeaceWithYourNeighbour

Why is it throwing money in the trash? It won't make any difference for every weapon the West puts out, the Russians will make 10 because the West no longer has industrial capacity and the Russians do. It is better to stop this proxy war and negotiate and yes it will be on Russian terms

US could not find more weapons for Ukraine

It's not just up to Mr. Scholtz. The are other political forces in Germany. Just like there are pro-Russian politicians in the US blocking aid for Ukraine.

But not the German constitution

Olaf the clown doesn't want to end his life like Navalny, don't get mad at him 😂

And China hasn't even entered the foray yet.

Sorry, but that is a false equivalence. Russia's economy is smaller than that of the US State of Florida. Expecting them to do much of anything outside of the Ukraine war is somewhat unrealistic.

@@mandarinandthetenrings2201 Their economy doesn't need to match the USA. Since everything cost less there. Most notably labour. And Russia spends around 40% of it's GDP on defence. So it is more than capable of responding. I am not saying it would win a conventional war with the US. But it is more than capable of supporting it's allies against Israel.

@@TheFasterBiker Sorry, but Putin is running out of money. That why you need economy. Putin was begging the leader of China to use his money and he said no way.

@@TheFasterBiker If you have no money you can't buy a super car to impress your girl. If you don't have money you can't build tanks and make guns. That why Russia is failing in Ukraine their front lines collapsed and they are now struggling to hold to cities that they should have no problem holding on to.

Oh dear oh dear , the smartest remark of the day. 😂

it's now the biggest economy in Europe...

​@@danielxbox28ruzzia ?

They have almost 155 million.. and just 2 million out of this is enough to cause mayhem...

Russia has an old, aging, and shrinking population, their GDP is smaller than Germany, UK, France, Italy, and even Canada. Their industry is oriented around a fair amount of defense manufacturing, but they’ve grown increasingly reliant on China to get around sanctions for critical parts like microchips, and China won’t like it’s newest puppet state attacking it’s best customers in Europe. At some point, Russia will run out of prisoners to tap for military service and a general mobilization will be putin’s downfall. He’s a history “buff” that must be well aware of how things went for Nicholas in 1917 when he expanded mobilization for WWI… which is to say not so well.

Exactly!!!! Thank you! =)

It's who can make more ammo and weapons. Russia is ahead now. It won't be for long. Number of soldiers isn't even close. The EU alone has more numbers than Russia.

​@@Joey-ct8bmair superiority is what matters and what would be a deciding factor in a Russia NATO war in which NATO has the upper hand in fighter aircraft.

@@agentjohnson3973 You need missiles for that first. It's gonna be a nuclear war and NATO has a huge advantage of being close to Russia. Before Russia reaches the US all cities would be long gone. A destroyer would immediately hunt a submarine, but when your nukes are already close to Russia you destroy it very fast. They also have to defend both sides of Russia while NATO can only be attacked by one direction. That's huge disadvantage. Russia is massive.

​@@Joey-ct8bmYou do realize that Russia touches Alaska, right? They ain't that far from us either.

@@MelkorTolkien Not really important territory in Alaska. Half of Russia is unpopulated too.

Paolo, suck it! Russia has no interest in Europe.

you have a point.

Good luck lol

Russia is militarily powerful but not enough to invade whole Europe. Same to Europe, you can't invade Russia.

Let me know when u on the gates of the kremlin

I was think that myself. Mr Kaupo is very eloquent and frank about his assessment of the current situation. Good interview.

he eats too much taxpayer money @@bokami3445

He said denazification of Ukraine. No the EU and US.

Bruh

Lol rusi use 5 %of power in Ukraine war wtf are you talking.. Russia is too strong

lol, I guess your British

me when I dodge the draft because dying over a conflict between two eastern european hellholes is a waste of my time and yours.

If not NATO then something else would replace it. Eastern European countries know for a fact what Russian imperialism and oppression leads too, and none of them want o feel the effects of it. This is not NATO imagination, this is the real world.

Uh, they just got a huge one, Vlad.

yes, like always

Nope. Get with the program.

@@TonyM540 I don't want to get with any program that could mean an end to the planet and all that lives upon it. Not when human beings can solve differences that can bring about peace. ☮️

The EU needs to bin Elensky's so-called 10-point p

I think that is the point of what this Estonian is saying. The west has behaved as if we are in peace by reducing our armies etc. We have assumed that everyone else in the world had the same level of thinking. This has resulted in those with aggressive motives perceiving us as weak - because we do not want to fight. So, how can we create/maintain peace. An adage comes to mind "a stitch in time saves nine" If the world had responded when Russia attacked Finland, or Moldova, or Chechnya, or Crimea or the Donbas region of Ukraine then we would not be in this position. None of those regions attacked Russia and the West wanted peace so did nothing. That is how we know Russia will not stop at taking just the currently occupied land, look at its history. The other thing we know is that you can only communicate with someone at the level they understand. Russia understand peace and democracy as weakness and therefore open to attack and domination (ie.destruction of peace). An example, if I walked into you home and claimed part of it as mine how would you negotiate a peaceful settlement? I will stay no matter what you say and if you do anything I will become violent towards you and destroy your property. This is the position Ukraine is in. Estonia is looking on and saying "we could be next" and preparing to make sure that they and their neighbours create a situation in which Russia does not attack further or if they try they are met with sufficient resistance that they give up quickly. Like you I believe that we should use our brains and not our brawn. I too, like many on this planet want peace and harmony. Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to deal with an aggressive bully is to knock him on his a**, and hope that he gets up and does better and others who may think of doing the same learn too.

@@louise_rose Why?

Since they are Estonians, most likely they could claim: "Russia is going to attack ukraine, Kremlin might arrest Alexey Navalny."

welcome to the internet

😂😂😂😂😂 true

And Ukraine?

Ukraine has lost close to 1million soldier in the past 2 years this is madness 😠

Not 400,000 but 4 000 000

120k dead, the rest are wounded soldiers.

​@@ilronin804Nope 40 000 000

Its impossible to defeat Russia. Both military and economy Russia is winning despite all the max supports to Ukraine and sanctions from US, UK, NATO

I think you misunderstand. I has always been possible, its just that the West's military needs to have the political will to be second in line for arms procurement, standing aside while they ship ukraine directly what is urgently needed.

Russia has switched to a war economy with supplies from Iran, North Korea and China.

You trust Putin to tell the truth?

​@@hb9145 He did though.

@@joeroyle275 You mean when he said he had no intention of invading Ukraine.

@@joeroyle275 No, the negotiations failed because Russia doesn't want Ukraine to exist, and they'll point fingers at everyone else for being unreasonable.

You suffer under your warmongers and Brexit more than Germany. But we both suffer over all that Money which is needed in our Countries but goes for Ukraine and Weapins to build a dangerous Europe. You have one advantage: you are a Island, we not. We need Peace with Russia only manik peoble can not see or accept. And: we have not always to mix in and to play poluce for other countries. At last every country is govert by his Peoble. Russians have had about three Decates good life for the most after hundred of years in poorness and leck of Justice. Its at all the Perspective you use.

Send an email to Putin

@@robertmiskey5502 he didnt start it

@@bjorn1583 Ukraine invaded themselves?

@@hb9145 nope the US did in 2014

@@bjorn1583 OK. What military units were involved?

Hard to use experience when you are dead

“Red Army”???? 😆😆😆 Hey man you are behind history timeline by almost a century!

If they try, they will quickly find out how different it is to fight against an army that HAS a superior air force.

What red army ???

its funny how this so-called "Putin's ambitions" is only coming from the west

I guess russia could attack nato if nato sends their soldiers to ukraine

@pot_head64 They would probably still try to make it small enough that they can back out in case paragraph 5 actually works - though if Trump is in power that's not a given.

It will most likely initially be hybrid--just enough to split NATO without them entering the war.

Listen to Johnny he knows everything 😂😂😂😂

Question is not whether to stop or prevent Russian threat. NATO has all along been attempting to do that. Rather the question is how to effectively do it?

They throwing everything at one city but Russian cannot advance. They tried and got crushed by the Ukrainian counter attack.

@@mandarinandthetenrings2201 what world are you living in because its clearly not the real world

@@bjorn1583 Bear, the Russian should have won this war in Ukraine in under two months. It has been two years and they are losing ground.

I will take that as if "just in case". It doesn't mean Russia will get as strong as NATO, but it means they do keep the posibility of conflict against NATO a very real chance in the future.

no. all the experienced troops were killed in the first months. these are raw recruits and cannon fodder with zero trainingi

Russia lies - repeatedly, blatently...

dont worry the intel cam from the US think tank from an anonymous source so no need to show any evidence because it dont exist

They can't handle the Houthi let alone Russia

Holding back the special military operation. Not the whole Russia force.

@@mw9297 400K+ dead that can be counted on images of the battlefield, is just special military operation? Half of its navy acting like submarines. All for the sake of 'a little man syndrome '. The world would be laughing if it wasn't so tragic.

@@AK-ze7ro Putin’s not putting all his eggs in one basket, I promise. They still got a bigger force then Ukraine.

Sorry, but if you join NATO this what you agreed to in writing. It's just that no one bother to enforce it until now. You are treaty obligated to make sure you have military defense against a European aggressor.

All nations need to discuss and decide what their sovereignty and freedom are worth. How much you invest in defense will reflect how much you value these.

​@@mandarinandthetenrings2201HYON US taxpayers are tired of footing the bill for European defense.

@@morefreedomplease No their not. You forget you spent one billion dollar per year on air conditioning in Afghanistan under George W. Bush.

@@morefreedomplease You gave away trillion dollar in tax cut, then the billionaires hid that money in offshore bank accounts.

and this is very scary...don't forget North Korea

While everyone is focused just on Russia, they have forgotten of other military powers as you mentioned!!! And it's not only the countries you mentioned, there is a way more who seeks for the revenge... While Europe is giving their last stockpile to Ukraine, middle East is building more and more arsenal

its funny how this so-called "Putin's ambitions" is only coming from the west

Shoulders.. 😂

the collective west is responsible not just one person

But fools will not understand 🤦‍♂️

thank you for your intelligent observation.

Russia has also clearly stated that any former Warsaw pact countries joining NATO was a line that should never be crossed. Too bad Russia doesn't get to call the shots.

Russia just wants previous USSR land back. That is why it does not want counties to join NATO -which is why those countries do. What right does Russia have to dictate what anyone else does when it is gradually reoccupying previously owned land. As well as destabilising countries with any Russian population ie. any previous USSR country -which had a portion of their population deported to other soviet countries so that a percentage of Russians could always be part of its demographics, for just such occasions= old Russian playbook, check its history.

Ukraine , as a sovereign country has all rights to decide what to join or do. I'm not pro ukraine but their rights must be respected.

you can join the front anytime nato bot

You forgot who crushed Napoleonic ambitions that's right Russia 😂

@@JDDC-tq7qm Actually, it was General Winter. The Russians kept a fighting retreat until winter came, then Napoleon was defeated. Same thing with Adolph. He delayed his attack for 6 weeks, and General Winter caught him at the gates of Moscow.

come visit us

Russian citizens are going to get fed up with Putin's ambitions sooner or later. Same as French citizens all got fed up with Napoleons' ambitions too.

What 'hair" ? Western idiotic agenda and lies ?