Category Archives: Ukraine

Russian Military Force Structure in Ukraine Area

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Journal of Political Risk, Vol. 3, No. 2, February 2015.

A map with flags and strategies regarding Russian Military in Ukraine Region

This official document obtained by Corr Analytics reveals the force structure of Russian military personnel and equipment in and around Ukraine, including in Russia, Ukraine, and Transniestria.

Anders Corr, Ph.D.
Publisher of the Journal of Political Risk

Corr Analytics received official documents yesterday that reveal the force structure of Russian military personnel and equipment in and around Ukraine, including in Russia, Ukraine, and Transniestria. The key document is republished here, and details 63,200 personnel, 755 tanks, 2,610 armored vehicles, 305 multiple launch rocket systems, 955 artillery systems, 355 combat aircraft and helicopters, 30 combat ships, and 2 submarines.

The released document shows the locations of forces, including in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine, Crimea, Russia near the Ukrainian border, and Transdniestria.  Of particular interest are Russian-flagged forces shown to be in the Donbas region, including 13,000 personnel, 290 tanks, 765 armored vehicles, 125 multiple-launch rocket systems, and 210 artillery systems.

The army arrayed against the Ukrainian military is clearly a powerful Russian force that surrounds the country. Yet, Ukrainian officials yesterday were optimistic about a Ukrainian win against Russia. Russian foreign reserves are running low and being burned at a remarkably high rate. The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have finally broken with France and Germany, and put military advisors in Ukraine. Ukraine expects to receive Javelin anti-tank missiles, sophisticated artillery equipment, and other military assistance in the near future.

Ukraine will accept conditions imposed by the IMF for a $17.5B loan in the coming days. This will cause social unrest in Ukraine, according to officials. Ukrainian citizens are expected to denounce such conditionality when the country is at war. Russian intelligence will likely take advantage of such unrest, according to the officials. However, Ukraine will accept the conditions in order to maintain unity with its allies and to obtain the much-needed loan.

Anders Corr, Ph.D. is the founder and principal of Corr Analytics. JPR Status: Report, archived 2/28/2015. 

China Response to Hacking Indictment Indicates Rash Leadership and Need to Expand NATO to Asia

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Journal of Political Risk, Vol. 2, No. 5, May 2014.

Chinese and Russian joint naval exercise is photographed. One large ship is visible in the background with a smaller one in the foreground.

Chinese and Russian joint naval exercise. In 2013, Russia and China conducted similar exercises near Vladivostok. A Chinese fleet consisting of seven naval vessels participated in the “Joint Sea-2013” Sino-Russian joint naval drills scheduled for July 5 to 12. The eight-day maneuvers focus on joint maritime air defense, joint escorts and marine search and rescue operations. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Anders Corr, Ph.D.
Publisher of the Journal of Political Risk

China is using a very blunt and escalatory instrument — threatening general deterioration in military relations — to respond to a limited issue of Chinese individuals stealing trade secrets. On May 20, the United States Justice Department indicted five People’s Liberation Army members for hacking United States commercial data.  The remarkable speed with which China responded the following day, and at the highest level, suggests that commercial hacking is an officially-approved state policy on the part of China. The Chinese threat of reduced military cooperation and thereby deteriorating military relations is clumsy in that the Chinese would look better had they simply launched an investigation of the individuals — an investigation that they could later claim shows the indictment as baseless. The broad Chinese threat of deteriorating military relations invites an increase in US military attention to Asia — exactly what the Chinese should be trying to avoid. The clumsiness of the Chinese response to the indictments indicates a rash Chinese leadership prone to irrational military strategies, with consequent market volatility and political instability. The US and its Asian allies should respond with a measured forward deployment of military forces, and redoubled diplomatic energy towards greater alliance cooperation, including between Asian allies and NATO.

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