Скачать или смотреть Is Putin a paper tiger? How Russia & Nato stack up nuke-by-nuke

Putin has at his disposal one of the world’s most formidable military forces, based on the figures.

Russia matches the US for troops and has more than any other Nato member – with some 1.3million soldiers, and millions more in reserve.

But he has been branded a “paper tiger” by Donald Trump.

Boots on the ground remain the backbone of any fighting force – but there is always the nuclear elephant in the room.

And what Putin does have over any global power is the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal.

Here is how nuke stockpiles have risen and fallen since the peak of the Cold War – with Russia now at the top of the pile.

But with no one daring to use a nuclear weapon since the end of World War 2 – they are for now an ominous shadow.

And with the promise of mutually assured destruction should the nukes start flying, conventional warfare still swallows up.

NATO combined has well over 3million troops – but the lion’s share are still provided by the United States.

The US’s enormous arsenal is an invaluable part of the alliance – providing the majority of the alliance’s hardware.

This is one of the biggest frustrations for US President Donald Trump, who wants other NATO members to pull their weight.

Total European defence spending is estimated to have increased by nearly $175billion in the last ten years.

And the Russian invasion of Ukraine has only increased the urgency of the continent to rearm.

The total spend across the continent is now nearly $400billion.

And one of the nations leading the charge is Poland – with them sharing a border with Ukraine and the Russian puppet state of Belarus.

With killer Russian drones already falling in the country’s east, they are on the frontline against Putin.

Poland has been described as the “model ally” to the US – upping its defence spending to nearly 4.2 per cent from 2.2 percent in 2014.

And they aren’t done yet, setting themselves up as the most formidable fighting force in Europe.

In terms of defence spending relative to GDP – they are closely followed by their Baltic neighbours, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Behind them in spending is the United Kingdom – with 2.2% spending, and a vow to raise it to 2.5% by 2027 and 5% by 2035.

Britain has been one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine against Russia, handing over advanced weapons and $10billion of military aid.

And this support from the UK – along with the other Nato nations and the US has allowed Ukraine to punch well above its weight.