Russia

Nick Reynolds, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said the Russian air force retained much of its capacity, because it had avoided risky operations into Ukrainian airspace and limited its losses....Reynolds added that while recruitment and procurement was focused on replacing human and equipment losses in Ukraine, a Ukrainian defeat or a ceasefire on terms favourable to Russia could free forces committed there, “which would be primed for potential redeployment”. Any pause in fighting in Ukraine would allow Russia to rebuild significant stockpiles, and the rise in oil prices had thrown the Russian economy a temporary lifeline, which would be likely to allow Russia’s high defence expenditure to continue, he added. “The current situation is extremely threatening to European countries, though that threat cannot manifest while the Ukrainian armed forces continue to resist the ongoing full-scale invasion.”

The structure of the last 16 years has been so entrenched and so much concerned with capturing all the commanding heights of the Hungarian state that it will take quite some time for anyone to unravel this,” said Jonathan Eyal, associated director of the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London....But there are a series of official bodies stuffed with Orbán loyalists who have taken power away from Hungary's parliament to make policy, Eyal pointed out, as well as a powerful constitutional court full of his appointees. "So sweeping away all these cobwebs is not something that could happen after a party on the Danube River," Eyal warned. "Magyar is not exactly a dissident that has emerged out of pure thin air into the new leader," Eyal said. "So there is a legitimate question about how much of a break this is from someone who clearly shared some of the Orbán government's views for a lot of his political career." Whatever happens, this result is blow to the regime in Moscow, Eyal added. "Most Hungarian voters when they're asked, they say we don't want to be part of Russia, we want to be part of Europe," he said. "And so this is a very major lesson for far right."

Russia's aircrew cadre, including its pilots, "has also grown significantly more capable during the war," Bronk said. While Russia has lost experienced crew members, it has lost far fewer pilots than it has jets. Skilled pilots are harder to replace in any air force. And any losses in capable crews have been "more than offset" by the additional flying time and combat experience provided by warfighting in Ukraine, Bronk added.