In a global military capacity assessment report just released at the beginning of 2026, Global Firepower (GFP) has released results to dispel doubts about the decline in Moscow's defense capabilities.
Instead of weakening after a long period of conflict, Russia still maintains a remarkable overall strength to maintain the runner-up position among 145 countries and territories ranked.
The official website of Global Firepower affirms: "As of 2026, Russia ranks 2nd out of 145 countries and territories".
To give this result, experts have calculated based on more than 60 separate factors, from force size, logistics capacity, financial strength to geographical advantages.
The No. 1 position in the world still belongs to the US thanks to its superior advantage in budget and technology platform.
Another bright spot in Russia's defense profile this year is its maritime strength. In the naval ranking (based on the total tonnage of ships of 51 countries), the Russian Navy is honored to be ranked 3rd in the world, only behind the US and China.
Observers believe that this ranking results accurately reflect the reality of the battlefield, where Moscow continuously deploys new generation weapons that make the opponent afraid.
The most typical example is that Western military officials recently had to admit their helplessness in intercepting Russia's Oreshnik hypersonic missile.
Besides the top two positions of the US and Russia, the Top 10 strongest armies in 2026 also includes familiar names including: China, India, South Korea, France, Japan, United Kingdom, Turkey and Italy.
Global Firepower is an annual ranking compiled since 2005. This is part of the Military Factory data network, which is considered by the international community as one of the most important and prestigious reference measures for the global military power balance.
