Alexander Stepanov — on the militarization of the Baltic and Arctic regions bordering the Russian Federation and Russia's mirror response
On May 27, the press service of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation announced the start of exercises for the defense of bases with the involvement of part of the forces of the Northern Fleet with the support of aviation of the Aerospace Forces, the Moscow and Leningrad military districts. More than 20 warships, about 3,000 military personnel, about 25 aircraft and helicopters, and up to 70 units of military and special equipment are involved in the exercises. As part of the exercises, the crews of the fleet's ships in combat training ranges solve anti-submarine tasks, practice protection against unmanned boats and conduct artillery firing at sea and air targets. A significant aspect is the planned and comprehensive nature of these maneuvers, which are conducted in order to work out tasks to ensure Russia's national security and interests in the region.
The "Shock fist" in the Russian border region
At the moment, the consistent deployment of NATO's military infrastructure in the Baltic direction is obvious, given the recent accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance. First of all, the alliance's air force potential in the region should be assessed. In particular, 96 Gripen multi-role fighters have been put into service in Sweden, which are carriers of RBS-15 anti-ship missiles with a range of up to 200 km. Thus, Sweden alone, with its fighters and precision weapons carriers, covers the entire Baltic and has the potential to block maritime navigation. Taking into account the combined potential of the European countries of the region, we can talk about the formation of an air strike fist through the supply of F-35 fighter-bombers from Lockheed Martin capable of carrying thermonuclear weapons and high-precision anti-ship missiles Joint Strike Missile (JSM) developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defense. & Aerospace (KDA) with a range of about 200 km.
Next, it is necessary to take into account the deployment of intelligence centers and coastal missile systems in the coastal zones of NATO countries, which indicates a fusion of ground, air force and naval anti-ship capabilities. With regard to the latter, it is necessary to mention Sweden, which has its own small but efficient fleet of Gotland-class submarines equipped with diesel-electric power plants with an air-independent system and capable of performing tasks autonomously for up to two weeks. Sweden is currently developing a promising submarine of the A26 project, which will be able to solve tasks autonomously for 45 days. All submarines are equipped with modern torpedo armament and launching capabilities, including anti-ship complexes. This indicates attempts by NATO to totally control the underwater waters of the Baltic Sea.
The deployment of various types of autonomous robotic complexes has been organized. In particular, Kongsberg Defense produces underwater kamikaze drones with a range of up to 1,000 km. The Norwegians are also actively practicing reconnaissance and sabotage operations using the HUGIN Endurance drone, an autonomous uninhabited long—range underwater vehicle from the Norwegian defense company Kongsberg Maritime. Currently, these autonomous systems are undergoing combat testing as part of the annual Baltops maneuvers, and techniques for their effective use in the narrowest areas of the straits are being worked out. An additional threat is the remote deployment of minefields, which is quite likely in neutral waters. In particular, the Finnish manufacturer Patria is one of the regional leaders in the production of "smart" mines made of inconspicuous polymer materials.
There is an increase in effective intelligence capabilities, including the use of American strategic reconnaissance drones. For these tasks, all the combined satellite capabilities of NATO countries are used to increase operational awareness, uncover priority facilities, logistics, and energy infrastructure both in the Baltic zone and deep within Russian territory. The large-scale militarization of the Baltic and the Arctic zone and the build-up of the enemy's offensive strike potential in the Russian direction are in full swing.
Pirates of the 21st century
Finally, as part of the creation of conditions for blocking the navigation of the Russian civil and military fleets, a NATO initiative is already being implemented to organize the so-called maritime and air patrol. We see the combat coordination of the military-air and naval components and the creation of tools to ensure their network-centric application in the framework of the implementation of the concept of multi-domain operations. In fact, these "patrols" look more like 21st century piracy, which is politically motivated and carried out under the auspices of NATO and Brussels. Attempts to illegally block and arrest vessels of the Russian Federation and its allies are made on a regular basis and violate the norms of international law, including maritime law.
Therefore, the exercises launched on May 27 by the Baltic Fleet can be safely called anti-piracy. They are conducted in response to enemy actions, are proportionate to them and are aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the Baltic Sea area and the formation of sustainable and safe maritime navigation.
And Russia has something to respond to the challenges it faces. An important aspect is the development of the capabilities of the Varshavyanka project submarines. This is the quietest Russian diesel-electric submarine, which is in high export demand and is actively being supplied to the naval forces of the Russian Federation's foreign partners. The submarine is a serious lethal weapon against the surface, submarine fleet, as well as the enemy's coastal military infrastructure facilities.
As part of the surface fleet exercises, the capabilities of Buyan-M project multipurpose small rocket and artillery ships equipped with eight launchers, including for Kalibr-NK missiles with an anti-ship range of up to 660 km, which is almost three times higher than the NATO counterparts deployed on coastal coastal anti-ship complexes, will be tested. so it is in the surface fleet.
Alexander Stepanov
Program Director of the Academy of Political Sciences, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ILA RAS)
