24/7 Wall St. Insights:
- Russia and Ukraine are home to the largest standing armies in Eastern Europe, and measure up comparably with NATO armies
- Russia has over 3 million military personnel, comprised of 1.3 million active duty and 2 million in reserve
- Ukraine has over 2 million total military personnel, with 900,000 active duty and 1.2 million in reserve
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The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict in Eastern Europe has been hotly contested over the past two years by some of the largest armies in the region. Both of these countries continue to flex as the conflict continues, but one thing remains true, what each needs to fuel this protracted conflict is manpower. (Which countries support Russia in the conflict with Ukraine.)
Russia by far commands the largest military force in Eastern Europe, with its total military personnel numbering over 3 million. This includes about 1.3 million in active personnel and 2 million in reserves. This army is complemented by the largest tank force in the world and one of the largest air forces.
Since the conflict began, Ukraine has significantly ramped up its military recruitment in response to the threat from its eastern neighbor. Accordingly, Ukraine boasts about 900,000 active personnel and 1.2 million in reserves, making a total of over 2 million total personnel.
It should be noted that each of these armies has suffered significant losses from the onset of the conflict and accurate casualty numbers are hard to come by. Also, accurate reporting of these numbers impacts overall strategy, so don’t expect accurate numbers until sometime after the conflict is over.
Compared to NATO armies, where most troop numbers are lower with the exception of a few nations, both Russia and Ukraine measure up fairly well for the most part. (This country has the strongest support for Ukraine.)
Other countries in Eastern Europe tend to have smaller armies for the most part, with a few relying on NATO or Russia to supplement their forces. 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at countries within the region and how their military forces measure up.
To identify the Eastern European countries with the most active military personnel, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of active military personnel. We included supplemental information regarding total personnel, reserves, total population, fit-for-service, and overall military strength score.
Here is a look at the largest standing armies in Eastern Europe:
Why Are We Covering This?
Understanding the military dynamics of Eastern Europe is essential due to the region’s critical geopolitical importance, not to mention the ongoing conflict. Eastern Europe has historically been a focal point of tension, and military power plays an important role in maintaining both political and economic stability. The stability of Eastern Europe remains vital to global security.
11. Montenegro
- Active personnel: 2,350
- Reserves: 0
- Total military personnel: 7,850
- Total population: 602,445
- Fit-for-service: 85,547
- Military strength score and world rank: 2.9109 – #129 out of 145
10. Moldova
- Active personnel: 8,500
- Reserves: 67,000
- Total military personnel: 77,500
- Total population: 3,250,532
- Fit-for-service: 1,618,765
- Military strength score and world rank: 4.2311 – #144 out of 145
9. Slovakia
- Active personnel: 19,500
- Reserves: 0
- Total military personnel: 19,500
- Total population: 5,425,319
- Fit-for-service: 2,294,910
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145
8. Czechia
- Active personnel: 28,000
- Reserves: 4,200
- Total military personnel: 32,200
- Total population: 10,706,242
- Fit-for-service: 4,079,078
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
7. Bulgaria
- Active personnel: 37,000
- Reserves: 3,000
- Total military personnel: 40,000
- Total population: 6,827,736
- Fit-for-service: 2,628,678
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145
6. Hungary
- Active personnel: 41,600
- Reserves: 20,000
- Total military personnel: 76,600
- Total population: 9,670,009
- Fit-for-service: 3,722,953
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145
5. Belarus
- Active personnel: 63,000
- Reserves: 145,000
- Total military personnel: 263,000
- Total population: 9,383,853
- Fit-for-service: 3,678,470
- Military strength score and world rank: 1.0901 – #64 out of 145
4. Romania
- Active personnel: 81,300
- Reserves: 55,000
- Total military personnel: 151,300
- Total population: 18,326,327
- Fit-for-service: 7,807,015
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145
3. Poland
- Active personnel: 202,100
- Reserves: 350,000
- Total military personnel: 602,100
- Total population: 37,991,766
- Fit-for-service: 15,272,690
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
2. Ukraine
- Active personnel: 900,000
- Reserves: 1,200,000
- Total military personnel: 2,200,000
- Total population: 43,306,477
- Fit-for-service: 15,460,412
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.2598 – #18 out of 145
1. Russia
- Active personnel: 1,320,000
- Reserves: 2,000,000
- Total military personnel: 3,570,000
- Total population: 141,698,923
- Fit-for-service: 46,477,247
- Military strength score and world rank: 0.0702 – #2 out of 145
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