Russia vs Ukraine: How Their Forces Compare

LUHANSK, UKRAINE — The BBC reports that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is escalating dangerously, as multiple sources are reporting large Russian military movements towards the eastern Ukrainian border, and into the Crimea — which Russian forces annexed from Ukraine in March 2014. <br /><br />Ukrainian intelligence sources told the BBC that the additional Russian forces amount to 16 battalion tactical groups, which would be up to 14,000 soldiers. <br /><br />Ukraine says this means that when you add the forces that were conducting exercises, Russia now has about 40,000 troops on the eastern border and about 40,000 in Crimea. <br /><br />Russia also announced that it had moved a force of ten artillery boats and landing craft to the Black Sea. <br /><br />Ukraine's armed forces maintain 255,000 troops, making it the third largest force in Europe, after Russia and France. <br /><br />Most of Ukraine's warplanes, helicopters, tanks and ships were inherited from the Soviet Union, but due to economic issues, many of these outdated war machines are not functional.