Top U.S. General in Europe Issues Stark Warning About Russian Military (VIDEO)

General Christopher Cavoli, the head of U.S. European Command, warned this week that Russia’s military has grown stronger and has recovered faster from its war in Ukraine than the U.S. thought was possible.

Cavoli, who is also the supreme allied commander of Europe at the Western security alliance NATO, made the remarks Wednesday during a House Armed Services hearing on National Security Challenges in Europe.

“With the help of the United States, and invaluable help from other allies and partners, Ukraine has inflicted significant damage upon the Russian military,” he said in his opening remarks. “However, Russia relies on the mass and quantity available to a large country, and despite its military’s evident deficiencies and dysfunctions, continues to pose an existential threat to Ukraine.”

Cavoli said that Russia has increased its production of long range precision munitions and has started to buy “ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and long-range drones from third countries who were previously outside this fight.”

“In fact, it is mainly only in the land forces that Russia has suffered, losing over 2,000 tanks and 315,000 soldiers wounded or dead,” he said. “However, Russia is reconstituting that force far faster than our initial estimates suggested. The army is actually now larger – by 15 percent – than it was when it invaded Ukraine. Over the past year, Russia increased its front line troop strength from 360,000 to 470,000. Russia’s army increased the upper age limit for conscription from 27 to 30, which increases the pool of available military conscripts by 2 million for years to come.”

"Russia shows no signs of stopping. And nor does Russia intend to stop with Ukraine. Russia presents a chronic threat." pic.twitter.com/PVMV1AfRjX

— U.S. European Command (@US_EUCOM) April 11, 2024

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