MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. The Russian armed forces can presently be regarded as the most powerful in the world. In terms of strength, the Russian army even surpasses the American one, Nikolay Patrushev, an aide to the Russian president and chairman of the Maritime Board, told Rossiya-1 television.

"Professional military personnel understand very well that we are now stronger than any other country," he said. "Many say the United States has the strongest army. That is not the case - our army is stronger and capable of offering a robust response."

However, Patrushev cautioned that even such formidable forces would struggle to deter Western aggression without domestic support.

"Without this, it would be very difficult to deter Europe’s aggression using only the armed forces," he emphasized.