Russia's ambition to develop navy equal to US and China

A Russian warship during the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg. Photo: AFP

And there is more to come. Russian Pacific units will receive 37 new ships by 2024, a big step up from the 28 new units received in the region over the past decade.

This proves that, despite the extremely expensive programs, especially the program to build new Leader-class destroyers and Storm aircraft carriers, the Kremlin is still promoting ambitious naval upgrades.

The Kremlin believes that upgrading its military capabilities to match the military potential of the United States and China is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the country needs to spend more on defense, given that Washington's defense budget is 10 times larger, while Beijing's defense budget is 5-6 times larger than Moscow's.

Mr. Alexey Muraviev, Associate Professor at Curtin University (Australia), said that the increase in defense spending and the purchase of new weapons has raised doubts about whether Russia will change its military doctrine, especially in the Eastern region, shifting from coastal defense in the Pacific region to broader offshore operations.

"Over the past five years, the Russian Navy has significantly increased its operational tempo, operational areas and the number of units deployed in frontline areas. The country has reached a level of combat operations comparable to the Cold War, deploying about 70 to 100 warships and auxiliary vessels at any given time," Associate Professor Muraviev commented.

Russian President and US President. Photo: AP

Meanwhile, according to Admiral Vladimir Korolev, Commander of the Russian Navy, the country's warships were used 17,100 times at sea in 2017, an increase of 1,500 days compared to 2016.

This shows that, although the Russian navy is smaller today than it was during the Soviet era, it has regained its Cold War-era deployment capabilities.

“The Russian Navy has now extended its long-range operational reach into the traditional operating areas of its Soviet predecessor, reaching into the Indian Ocean and Antarctica. Although its deployable forces are smaller than the Soviet fleet, it continued a high-tempo, extended operation in the Pacific from 2014 to 2017,” Associate Professor Muraviev said.

During this period, Russian warships operated throughout Southeast Asia, near the Horn of Africa, the Southwest Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Amid tensions with NATO, Russia is prioritizing maritime operations in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and North Sea. And while Sino-US and Russian-US tensions are rising in various geographic areas, there are some areas where the Russian and Chinese navies could cooperate.

Mr. Muraviev commented; "It is possible that Chinese shipbuilders will participate in some naval construction programs for the Russian Navy"./.