April 15, 2024 (EIRNS)—Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the commander of U.S. European Command and of NATO, had to in effect admit last week that the U.S./NATO policy of inflicting “strategic defeat” on Russia in Ukraine has failed completely. In prepared testimony submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 11, Cavoli reported that, for the most part, Russia has lost little to no military capacity, after two years of military operations against Ukraine. Russia’s strategic forces, long-range aviation, cyber capabilities, space capabilities, and capabilities in the electromagnetic spectrum “have lost no capacity at all,” he said. Russia’s Air Force has lost some aircraft, but only about 10% of its fleet. The Russian Navy, Cavoli said, “has suffered significantly in the Black Sea—but nowhere else and Russian naval activity worldwide is at a significant peak.” Russian long-range precision missiles have increased in production, and Russia has also begun 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.”
“However, Russia is reconstituting that force far faster than our initial estimates suggested,” Cavoli said. “The army is actually now larger—by 15%—than it was when it invaded Ukraine. Over the past year, Russia increased its front line troop strength from 360,000 to 470,000.”
