October 18, 2026, 3:01 pm
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While the Ukrainian military has (rightly) drawn a lot of attention for its innovations and adaptations, the Russian force has been changing too.
While parts of the force have been battered, in some areas its capabilities have evolved well beyond where they were in 2022.
And so today, in a discussion with Michael Kofman, I want to look at how the Russian military has changed since 2022, and where its strengths and weaknesses are today.
Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/PerunAU
Reading and Sourcing (partial):
Michael Kofman Bio
https://carnegieendowment.org/people/michael-kofman
The Russia Contingency
https://warontherocks.com/tag/the-russia-contingency-with-michael-kofman/
Kofman, M & Lee, R – Not Built for Purpose: The Russian Military’s Ill-Fated Force Design (2022)
https://warontherocks.com/not-built-for-purpose-the-russian-militarys-ill-fated-force-design/
Greg Whisler and Michael Kofman – A Return to Mass: Russian Force Expansion in the War with Ukraine
https://warontherocks.com/a-return-to-mass-russian-force-expansion-in-the-war-with-ukraine/
Kluge, J – The Composition of Russian Forces in Ukraine
https://janiskluge.substack.com/p/the-composition-of-russian-forces
Kofman et al. – Russian Military Strategy: Core Tenents and Operational Concepts
https://www.cna.org/reports/2021/10/Russian-Military%20-Strategy-Core-Tenets-and-Operational-Concepts.pdf
Foreign Military Studies Offices (2016) Grau, L. & Bartles, C – The Russian Way of War
https://www.armyupress.army.mil/portals/7/hot%20spots/documents/russia/2017-07-the-russian-way-of-war-grau-bartles.pdf
Ramm, A – The Russian Army: Organization and
Modernization (2019)
https://www.cna.org/reports/2019/10/IOP-2019-U-021801-Final.pdf
Lee, R & Putiata, D – Inside Rubicon, the structure of Russia’s elite drone center
Inside Rubicon: The Structure of Russia’s Elite Drone Center
Russian creation of unmanned systems forces
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/russia-announces-unmanned-systems-forces-as-new-branch-of-military/3741843
Banderol (as an example of a Russian light cruise missile)
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/articles/2026/08/17/8049064/
Reporting on Centre 2026
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/10/03/8056251/
Reporting on Russian prison recruitment
https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1104794
https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/07/22/8045378/
Statements on number of Russian troops in the SMO zone
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/over-700-000-russian-troops-in-ukraine-ukrainian-1770376671.html
https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/21105319?utm_referrer=https%3a%2f%2fjaniskluge.substack.com%2f
Featured report on storm shadow strike
https://en.zona.media/article/2026/10/09/officers
Use of Discord in 2024
Russia Shuts Down Discord, Instrument of Military Communication
Reporting on Russian force expansion (2019)
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/02/27/russia-to-bolster-flanks-with-new-military-units-in-2019-a64647
Russian mobilisation reporting
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-senator-suggests-putin-might-not-issue-decree-ending-mobilisation-2022-11-01/
https://www.dw.com/en/putin-rejects-mobilization-rumors-many-russians-unconvinced/a-79193386v
Reporting on increases to maximum authorised strength of the Russian military
https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/29/new-russian-mobilisation-putin-signs-decree-adding-15500-troops-to-army
Caveats & Comments:
Nothing in this episode should be taken to represent an opinion or advice on any legal matter, including with regards to the potential application of domestic or international law to any of the events described or alluded to.
All normal caveats and comments apply. In particular – I would like to note as always that this material has been created for entertainment purposes and is not intended to be a complete or comprehensive examination of the topic in question and should not be relied upon to inform financial or other similar decisions.
Any content relating to the conduct, views, activities or any aspect of any person or character in this video is included for entertainment purposes and does not represent an assertion of fact on those matters or any matters in relation to that person or character.
Care has been taken in compiling data, quotes, and other inputs from various sources but errors can occur. Quotes and included data should be considered illustrative, not definitive and their veracity should not be relied on.
Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Intro
00:01:02 — Our Guest
00:01:40 — What Am I Talking About?
00:03:42 — Back To All Bling
00:17:37 — Towards 2026
00:30:02 — Modern War According To Russia
00:37:33 — The Question Of Force Quality
00:49:44 — Russia’s Kill Web
00:56:08 — The Russian Military Now
01:03:13 — Channel Update
Content Creator – Perun
