Vladimir Putin Emphasizes the Importance of Russia’s Naval Build-Up
Russian president Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow seeks to revitalize and modernize the Russian Navy with new shipbuilding programs that will continue through 2050.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of the country’s naval forces while meeting with sailors from the Project 885M Yasen-M class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine Arkhangelsk.
“We think that the Navy is one of the main guarantees of the country’s security and the overall global strategic stability because we have a certain strategic balance with the United States. We will treat it most carefully, and we will do everything promptly,” Putin explained, according to a report from state media outlet Tass.
“We will build new surface ships and submarines and improve their performance [and] they need to correspond to present-day standards and be combat-ready and effective soon,” Putin emphasized.
Even though Russia’s flagship and sole aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, has been undergoing an odyssey of a refit and is years late and over budget, while the same is accurate mainly of the Kirov-class battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov, Putin further stressed the importance of the Russian Navy.
“The role of the Navy in general is well-known. For centuries, Russia has been a powerful seafaring nation. And we will do our best to maintain this status,” the president stated.
“We will build new surface ships and submarines and improve their performance. They need to correspond to present-day standards and be combat-ready and effective in the near term,” he added.
“This is a weapon, and it should serve our country for decades, forming the backbone of our strategic security.”
Much of this commentary isn’t all that different from the stance taken in 2009 by then-Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, who boldly stated, “Without a proper navy, Russia does not have a future as a state.”
The Great Russian Naval Decline
It could be argued that Putin is at least a bit delusional, while Medvedev’s comments could be poignant for the future of the Russian state. However, since the end of the Cold War, Russia has been a second-world power, albeit one with nuclear weapons.
It essentially proved as much in its ability to defeat Ukraine, while its once highly touted military hardware has failed to live up to the hype.
The Russian Navy remains a shell of the once-mighty Soviet Navy. While it has built some capable guided-missile frigates armed with hypersonic weapons, its current naval force is hardly a true blue-water force.
In addition, with the fall of the pro-Kremlin regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Russia has largely been left without its most significant overseas naval base.
Moreover, with Finland and Sweden now members of NATO, the Baltic Sea has become a NATO-exclusive zone in all but name. That fact could explain why Putin has put great emphasis on the capabilities of the Northern Fleet, which also coincides with Moscow’s attempt to gain greater control of the Arctic.
“The Kola Peninsula is home to our most powerful Northern Fleet that ensures the security of Russia’s Arctic frontiers,” Putin said, highlighting his country’s Murmansk Region among other Arctic territories.
Naval Build-up Does Not Make One “Great”
The Russian president has long bemoaned the fall of the Soviet Union while also reminding the world of the might of Imperial Russia. In the spring of 2022, Putin infamously compared himself to the eighteenth Russian Tsar Peter the Great, the founder of the Russian Navy.
The Navy established the annual Navy Day in 2017, which is celebrated on the last Sunday of July. Yet even as the Russian despot has attempted to emphasize the potential might of the Russian Navy, last year’s event is remembered as a letdown and rather unspectacular.
As previously reported, the main event was canceled due to security fears, and a minor event in St. Petersburg featured just twenty surface ships, a far cry from the dozens previously seen taking part.
Given that the Kremlin is unable to even hold a parade due to fears of a drone strike or terrorist attack, it is simply hard to take Putin seriously when he proclaims that the Russian Navy will be a serious fighting force. It will likely be little more than a glorified green-water naval force. That may be the best future Russia even has as a state.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at [email protected].
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