Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Cull said China posed a greater threat to the US and the global order than Russia, although he warned that Moscow was still a “dangerous actor”. Kahl said Russia was “perhaps not as capable, frankly, and conventional as some of us might have appreciated six or eight months ago,” referring to the time before Putin launched his full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, after months creation of troops. from the border. Russia suffered heavy troop and equipment losses and failed in its attempt to capture Kyiv. It now faces a tough counteroffensive from Ukraine in the southern Kherson region and the eastern Kharkiv region in which Kyiv boasts of making significant gains. A damaged Russian army tank in the village of Lukashivka, Chernihiv region, on September 7, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Pentagon official Colin Kahl said the war in Ukraine showed that Russia is not as militarily capable as previously believed. SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/Getty Images The Air Force Command of the Ukrainian armed forces claimed in a Facebook statement on Saturday that it had destroyed at least $157.5 million worth of Russian aircraft and weapons in just three days. But Kahl said on Wednesday that despite the reported setbacks, Russia had also shown itself to be “an extremely dangerous and reckless power” and warned that “a weakened Russia is becoming more dangerous on the international stage.” He referred to how Russia now had to align itself more and seek the help of North Korea and Iran. Russia has reportedly purchased Mohajer-6 and Shahed series drones from Iran. This week, it was also reported that Moscow had resorted to seeking missiles and rockets from Pyongyang. This is because it has been cut off from global supply chains by sanctions and China, while remaining an ally of Russia, has refrained from providing Moscow with the technology it needs for military equipment. Kahl said that with its forces busy fighting in Ukraine, Moscow will increasingly turn to unconventional capabilities such as nuclear, cyber and space, as well as disinformation and disinformation campaigns. “Russia does not pose a challenge to the United States and the rules-based international order in the long term that China does,” Kahl told the Defense News Conference on Wednesday, “but in the near term, it is a very dangerous actor.” Newsweek has reached out to Russia’s foreign ministry for comment. Regarding China’s threat, Kahl also said that Russia’s experience in Ukraine may make Beijing more wary of Taiwan. “I don’t think China wants to put itself in a position that Russia is in today,” he said, “which is invading a democratic neighbor,” adding that it would “generate enormous global sympathy.” Kahl’s views were in line with comments Thursday from CIA Director Bill Burns, who said the invasion of Ukraine had highlighted the weaknesses of the Russian military. Burns told a cyber security conference in Washington, DC, that it was “difficult to see the war record – Putin’s record – as anything other than a failure so far.” “Not only has the weakness of the Russian military been exposed, but there will be long-term damage to the Russian economy and generations of Russians as a result,” he said.
