After the Turkish shootdown of the Russian plane exacerbated relations between the two countries, discussion of a potential conflict between the two began in the media and on social networks.
Both countries have said that a direct military confrontation is impossible. However, the Global Firepower Index, which compiles information on the strength of countries' militaries based on publicly available information could give an indication of the two countries' relative strengths.
Russia is ranked second in the index, after the United States, while Turkey is number 10.
In terms of equipment, Russia is said to have a total of 15,398 tanks, compared to Turkey's 3,778, with a similar ratio of personnel carriers, with 31,298 to Turkey's 7,550.
The gap is more apparent in self-propelled artillery, of which Russia has 5,972, compared to Turkey's 1013. In terms of multiple rocket launcher systems, Russia has 2,793 systems compared to Turkey's 811.
At the same time, in the aerial naval balance which would be more important in such a potential confrontation, Russia has 3,429 planes to Turkey's 1,020. When it comes to naval ships, Russia has 352 to Turkey's 115.
At the same time, the rating, while providing a simple comparison, relies on publicly gathered data, sometimes estimated. More complex analyses, such as Military Balance, published by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, give a more in-depth look at the state of countries' military strength and ongoing conflict analysis.
