[denis1]

Or... there aren't better troops and weapons?

Hear me out. Russia is corrupt to the core with leadership that's only focused on enriching themselves.

It wouldn't surprise me if their conventional military proved to be way less capable then they're presenting it to be.

Sure, they have enough smart people that are able to design advanced weaponry, but do they have the industrial capacity to actually build? And do they have the capability to maintain it? How about troop training?

[sgjohnson]

They probably don’t. As with almost all modern dictatorships, the military is there to protect the elites from the general populace, and is not fit for much more purpose. Besides Russia doesn’t have to worry about external invaders, because they have their nuclear deterrent. So the state of their military makes perfect sense.

Can’t risk a military coup.