Has Russia’s military improved enough to take on NATO?

Al Jazeera’s defence editor on why Russia’s army is ill-prepared for a direct conflict with NATO, a scenario Putin has warned of.

The war in Ukraine has thrown into bold relief the possibility of a future conflict between Russia and NATO.

Not since the Cold War have tensions been so high. Russia is deeply involved in a war that shows no sign of slowing down or stopping.

Russia has learnt and improved from its disastrous start to the invasion. But has it improved enough to be able to take on the largest military alliance in history?

Russia’s ground forces have seen rapid expansion as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Quality has not kept pace as larger numbers have not offset poor training and huge equipment shortages. For Russia, the only path to a military victory is through attrition and the use of its larger armed forces to ground down the smaller Ukrainian army.