Russia's once-creaky military is now modern and lethal

In the early years of Mr Vladimir Putin’s tenure as Russia’s leader, the military was a hollowed-out but nuclear-armed shell. It struggled to keep submarines afloat and senior officers lived in mouldy, rat-infested tenements.

Two decades later, it is a far different fighting force that has massed near the border with Ukraine. Under Mr Putin’s leadership, the military has been overhauled into a modern sophisticated force, able to deploy quickly and with lethal effect.

It features precision-guided weaponry, a streamlined command structure and professional soldiers. And they still have the nuclear weapons.

The modernised military has emerged as a key tool of Mr Putin’s foreign policy: Capturing Crimea, intervening in Syria, keeping the peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and, just this month, propping up a Russia-friendly leader in Kazakhstan.

Now it is in the middle of its most ambitious operation yet: using threats and potentially force to bring Ukraine back into Moscow’s sphere of influence.

“The mobility of the military, its preparedness and its equipment are what allow Russia to pressure Ukraine and to pressure the West,” said Russian security analyst Pavel Luzin.

Without firing a shot, Mr Putin has forced the Biden administration to shelve other foreign policy priorities and contend with Kremlin grievances that the White House has long dismissed.