Russian lawmaker mocks U.S. military capabilities in remarks

A senior Russian lawmaker and general claimed that the United States military lacks the operational experience and planning capabilities demonstrated by Russia’s armed forces, according to public remarks made by Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee.

In his remarks, Kartapolov said: “Today, the leaders in the military sphere, without a doubt, are the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and our country as a whole. Because no one has experience like ours, and we clearly see today that Americans do not reach our capabilities in conducting operations at the tactical and operational level — they simply do not know how to plan them.”

He added: “All they can do is fly, bomb, and talk about how good everything is for them. We solve tasks differently.”

According to Kartapolov, the Russian military has accumulated operational experience through sustained combat operations. He cited figures previously attributed to Russian authorities, stating that since the start of what Moscow calls its “special military operation,” Russian forces have destroyed hundreds of aircraft and helicopters, thousands of tanks, and large quantities of artillery systems and vehicles.

The figures presented by Russian officials include claims of 386 aircraft, 210 helicopters, 7,960 tanks, more than 1,030 multiple launch rocket systems, 4,172 artillery pieces and mortars, and approximately 8,500 vehicles destroyed. The same statements also indicated that more than 120,000 personnel have received state awards, including over 100 individuals awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

These figures and claims could not be independently verified and reflect official Russian reporting on the war.

These claims stand in contrast to independent, visually confirmed loss assessments tracked by the Oryx open-source intelligence community. According to Oryx, which documents equipment losses based on photo and video evidence, Russia has lost 361 military aircraft and helicopters, while Ukraine has lost 194.

In terms of ground equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and artillery systems, Oryx data indicates that Russian forces have lost 24,333 units compared to 11,697 for Ukraine. These figures represent only losses that have been visually confirmed and are widely considered conservative estimates.