Putin approves big revamp of Russia’s navy, Kremlin aide says

Russian President Vladimir Putin has endorsed a new naval strategy designed to completely reestablish Russia as a top maritime power globally, Kremlin advisor Nikolai Patrushev stated in an interview released on Monday.

According to most public rankings, Russia possesses the third most powerful navy globally after China and the United States, despite experiencing several notable defeats in the Ukraine conflict.

Patrushev, a former KGB agent who worked alongside Putin in St Petersburg during the Soviet era, stated that the new naval strategy, named “The Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050,” was approved by Putin in late May.

“Russia’s position as one of the world’s greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering,” Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview.

“It is impossible to carry out such work without a long—term vision of the scenarios for the development of the situation in the oceans, the evolution of challenges and threats, and, of course, without defining the goals and objectives facing the Russian Navy,” Patrushev said.

Patrushev provided no additional specifics regarding the strategy, but Russia has increased its expenditure on defense and security to levels comparable to the Cold War as a share of gross domestic product.

A report from the U.S. Department of Defense stated in 2021 that China possesses the largest navy globally and that Beijing’s total battleforce is projected to increase to 460 ships by 2030.

Open source information indicates that Russia possesses 79 submarines, which include 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, along with 222 warships. Its primary fleet is the Northern Fleet based in Severomorsk by the Barents Sea.