Assessing Russian plans for military regeneration

Modernization and reconstitution challenges for Moscow’s war machine
Research paper Published 9 July 2024 ISBN: 978 1 78413 617 8 DOI: 10.55317/9781784136178
Photo of destroyed Russian tank in Ukraine.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now into its third year, has confounded many assumptions – both in Moscow and in the West – about the effectiveness of Russian military capabilities, organization and tactics. Russian forces have suffered heavy losses at times, prompting the military leadership to embark on a programme of regeneration and modernization. Moscow seeks to reform its force structure, recruit more troops, and replace or improve weapons and equipment, both to make up for losses incurred in combat and to address shortcomings in capabilities that the war has exposed.

This paper assesses the challenges Russia faces in upgrading each of the main armed services, and in reforming or developing its command structures, ‘asymmetric’ enablers and military-industrial complex accordingly. Understanding Russian priorities and progress on military regeneration is vital if Western policymakers are to determine in which domains and sectors Russia will continue to be a credible military threat to Ukraine and other countries.