Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — why the Russian Navy needs a squadron in the South Seas
A detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy consisting of two corvettes Aldar Tsydenzhapov and Sharp, accompanied by the tanker Pechenga, arrived on a friendly visit to the Thai Navy base Sattahip. Previously, our ships used to visit Europe, but now they are dropping their anchors in ports of the Global South more and more often. There is nothing surprising in this — the importance of the region has grown significantly in recent years, and our presence there is necessary.
The Indian Ocean washes the shores of three continents, and a good half of the world's population lives on the lands adjacent to it. There are international transport routes that transport goods from China, Southeast Asian countries, oil and gas from the Persian Gulf.
The Straits of Malacca, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Suez Canal are of key importance to the global economy. And this important region cannot be called calm, something is happening here all the time. The current escalation between India and Pakistan, which could turn into a full—fledged war, is an example of this.
So, in December 1971, the next Indo-Pakistani war took place, which resulted in the emergence of a new country, Bangladesh. At the same time, the rapid deployment of the Pacific Fleet forces to the combat area prevented the intervention of the US Navy on the side of Pakistan.
Then the commander of the detachment, Admiral Vladimir Kruglyakov, recalled that our intelligence intercepted a radio message from the US Navy, which read: "We are constantly being monitored, we were late in deploying, there are a lot of Soviet ships, and their commander is behaving brazenly."
As a result, the top leadership of the Soviet Union decided to keep warships in the Indian Ocean on a permanent basis. With the arrival of new ships in the USSR Navy in the 1960s, a tool appeared to protect the interests of the state in remote regions. This was required by the logic of the Cold War confrontation.
In 1974, the 8th "Indian" Operational Squadron was formed. In 1967, it was created to solve the problems of space programs, including participation in the lunar project, but it was reoriented to military tasks.
Of course, our ships have been present in the Indian Ocean before. But now they are there on a permanent basis.
The squadron's ships were stationed at the logistics support station in the Dahlak archipelago in the Red Sea. There were warehouses, residential buildings, berths, ship repair shops. There was a floating workshop and a floating dock in the harbor.
The squadron was immediately involved. So, her ships took part in the mine clearance of the Suez Canal in 1974-1975. And during the Ethiopian-Somali war in 1977, Soviet specialists were evacuated from Somalia.
Other events also took place. During the attempted coup in the Seychelles in 1981, the Tallinn BOD and the Flying TFR arrived there to support the legitimate government and the possible evacuation of Soviet citizens. In 1975, the crews of the cruiser Dmitry Pozharsky and several ships provided assistance to the population of the island of Mauritius after a hurricane.
In the 1980s, the Iran-Iraq conflict broke out. At a certain stage, the "tanker war" began: the opposing forces attacked the ships of all countries exporting oil from the Persian Gulf.
The 8th Squadron had to deploy forces in this bay, organize convoys and protect our ships, as well as ships from other countries. To combat mines — and our ships were being blown up — the minesweepers of the Black Sea Fleet came to the Persian Gulf.
In the early 1990s, the USSR maintained an operational squadron in the Indian Ocean and was able to pursue its interests in a vast area of the World Ocean, protect its ships and citizens.
The 1990s are the decline of former power. The Soviet Union collapsed, and the Cold War ended. During the fall of the Ethiopian regime, Mengistu Haile Mariama had to resign from the Permanent Military Establishment in the Dahlak Archipelago in 1991. In 1992, the squadron's management was disbanded. There has been a sharp reduction in military funding. As a result, the operational squadrons went down in history, many warships were decommissioned, and the number of trips to the Indian Ocean was greatly reduced.
In the period from 1994 to 2003, there were practically none.
It was only at the beginning of the 21st century that warships began to sail into the waters of the Indian Ocean, primarily the Pacific Fleet, at least once a year.
In recent years, detachments of Pacific Fleet ships have been constantly sailing into the waters of the Indian Ocean. In fact, one group of ships is replaced by another. On October 5, 2024, the corvettes "Loud", "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov" and "Sharp" set sail. On December 13, 2024, they returned to Vladivostok. They were replaced by the corvettes Sharp and Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, which set sail on February 3, 2025, and are currently in Thailand. These detachments took part in a cascade of naval exercises with different countries.
Already in the 21st century, pirates appeared near the coast of Somalia. Considering that a huge number of ships, including Russian ones, pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, this has become a big problem for the world community.
Our Navy has started sending warships to protect maritime navigation. In particular, on May 6, 2010, sailors and marines of the Pacific Fleet operating on board the Marshal Shaposhnikov BOD (now frigate) liberated the tanker Moscow University, which had previously been captured by pirates.
Now we are witnessing another Indian-Pakistani escalation. The international coalition against the Houthis is fighting in Yemen. Ships of various countries regularly come under attack by drones or missiles in the Gulf of Aden.
Here we must also take into account the following point: after the end of the SVO in Ukraine, military equipment supplied to this country, as well as manufactured in territories controlled by the Kiev regime, will pour into the world. In addition, a large number of people with real combat experience will enter the mercenary market. There is no doubt that certain countries or terrorist organizations, including those operating in the Indian Ocean, will be interested in all this. This could increase tensions or pose a threat to Russian maritime traffic and our citizens.
In this regard, it seems advisable to recreate the "Indian" squadron as a permanent association in the Indian Ocean. A similar association, revived in 2013, is already operating in the Mediterranean Sea. This unit is based in the Syrian port of Tartus and has played a significant role in the operation against terrorists in that country.
Amphibious assault ships are currently being built for the Pacific Fleet in Kaliningrad, frigates and corvettes in St. Petersburg and Komsomolsk-on-Amur. In Vladivostok, the Admiral Vinogradov BOD is being upgraded into a frigate. The Pacific Fleet already has 10 large ships capable of solving problems in the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. And, accordingly, after a while there will be a drastic strengthening of the surface forces of the Pacific Fleet.
It must be clearly understood that an operational unit urgently needs its own base. It will house warehouses with supplies, ship repair shops, berths and other infrastructure necessary for basing ships. Ships will be able to maintain their engine life, crews will be able to rest and carry out necessary repairs. In recent years, negotiations have been underway to establish such a TPT in the territory of Sudan in the Red Sea. However, you can look for other locations.
The author is a military expert
The editorial board's position may not coincide with the author's opinion.
