Russia leveled up with its tech...how I dont know, but not only with weapons grade shit...every field, from medicine to agriscience, etc.
Prior to 2016, Russia/Putin were seen as such scrubs, the West "lured" them into Syria. They were gonna set them up with war crimes/genocide/chemical weapons use ('member the Ghouta attacks, etc?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghouta_chemical_attack even Russia's minion, bashar Assad escaped prosecution. Why? If you can provide an answer for this, it might be a pivotal/paradigm shift to our dynamic and you will be respected by me)
The Russians didn't get prosecuted for war crimes. Why? Because in the Intel backrooms, they (Russians) showed NATO its superior anti-missile tech, and any tomahawk lobbed on the Russians in Syria would be shot down. Once the West saw this demonstration of missile superiority, they pivoted to Ukrainian nonsense. (Europe's garden/backyard).
Russia is more a threat now than even the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Nobody with a clue will say anything but Russia is on an upward trajectory, inveresely proportioned to your decline.