At a cost of $70 billion a year, Russia has the world's third-largest defence budget. For that, the state boasts 845,000 troops, 22,550 tanks and 1,399 combat aircraft.
Though perhaps not considered the superpower that it once was, since President Vladimir Putin's re-election in 2012 Russia's armed forces have gone through a significant transformation. The army is being split into smaller, more dynamic brigades. The focus is on new technologies rather than brute manpower. (For instance, this Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft system is basically a tank with a load of extra cannons sticking out of it.)
Here's a review of some of Russia's more menacing military machines.
Bora-class guided missile hovercraft: This ship is actually a catamaran with a skirt that turns it into a hovercraft. Armed with 8 Mosquito missiles and 20 anti-aircraft missiles, the ships have a crew of up to 68 sailors each. It has a cruising speed of 100km an hour.
The Pantsir-S1: A combined short-to-medium range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft missile system. The system consists of 12 surface-to-air guided missiles and two 30-mm automatic guns effective against planes, helicopters, ballistic and cruise missiles.
A virtually invisible submarine: The first of six Novorossiysk diesel-electric stealth submarines was launched from a St, Petersburg shipyard last year. Its designers claim its stealth technology makes it virtually undetectable when submerged.
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