Strategic depth. Patrushev named new targets for the Russian fleet

"Threats to our maritime borders will only increase," Nikolai Patrushev believes.

In an exclusive interview aif.ru Assistant to the President, Chairman of the Russian Maritime Board, spoke about the new Strategy for the development of the fleet and the strengthening of the coast guard in order to counter enemy drones.

Who is trying to violate the border

Vitaly Tseplyaev, aif.ru Questioner: Nikolai Platonovich, experts note that the situation along our maritime borders is not easy. Is this really true?

Nikolai Patrushev: Judge for yourself: the maritime border of Russia is more than 38 thousand kilometers and is longer than the land border. And on all sections of the border, we are faced with attempts to violate it. More and more provocations are being recorded in the Baltic, we see the desire of our opponents to probe the Russian Arctic maritime borders, and not everything is safe in, say, the Pacific Ocean. Attempts to violate the maritime border of the Russian Federation in the Azov-Black Sea basin are being made by Ukrainian gangs almost daily. An analysis of the global situation, including in neighboring regions, suggests that threats to our maritime borders will only increase.

— In April, Vladimir Putin held a meeting on the development of the Navy. You mentioned that during this meeting, the President was informed of the draft Navy Development Strategy for the period up to 2050. What is the status of this document at the moment?

— The decision to prepare the Strategy was made back in July last year at a meeting in the Kremlin. On behalf of the President, the Ministry of Defense prepared its draft, which was then finalized by the Russian Maritime Board, taking into account proposals from federal agencies and organizations. The final version of the Strategy was submitted to the head of state for consideration, and on May 30 he approved it.

How to ensure safety at sea

— Can you reveal a little bit about the content or at least the tone of this Strategy?

— Without going into details, I will say that such a strategic planning document has been adopted for the first time in modern history. This once again underlines that the development of a powerful and modern fleet is among the priorities for our country. And Russia's position as one of the world's greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering. It is impossible to carry out such work without a long-term vision of 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. Therefore, the Strategy contains an analysis of the development of the military-political situation in the world, options for the likely occurrence and nature of armed conflicts, and the potential of the leading naval powers. An assessment of the current state and capabilities of the Navy is given, taking into account the experience of a special military operation. The basic requirements for the future combat strength of the fleet, its main tasks in peacetime and wartime, as well as mechanisms aimed at shaping the future appearance of the Navy are formulated. In short, an important long-term document has been adopted, which answers the question of what Russia's naval power should be so that our country can effectively defend its interests in the oceans.

Exercises in the Baltic Fleet on the safety of navigation.
Source: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

— There is a feeling that the construction of warships has not been so fast so far. Will this situation change?

— It is clear that it takes time to modernize the shipbuilding facilities, equipment of naval bases and logistics centers, including outside our country, so that the Russian Navy can successfully fulfill its global mission. But the development of the Russian fleet has already gained a good pace. And today it is necessary to design and build ships, the tactical and technical characteristics of which will surpass the fleet of foreign countries. In this regard, the Strategy sets goals aimed at introducing innovative technologies, including increasing the number of domestic marine robotic complexes.

Of course, Russia's naval power is not only ships and shipyards, it is, first of all, people and knowledge. Therefore, military science should look far ahead, and educational institutions should switch to the training of naval personnel, whose professionalism and competence will allow them to solve the full range of tasks facing the fleet.

— When exactly will these tasks be implemented?

— As a follow-up to the adopted Strategy, a shipbuilding program is being developed until 2050. The document will allow you to plan the entire life cycle of ships, determine their number, type of ships and vessels under construction, and serial number. The implementation of this program will be provided for within the framework of the state armament program and the state defense order. A separate part of the Strategy is devoted to the creation of scientific and technological groundwork. A presidential decree on the establishment of the National Research Center for Shipbuilding named after Academician A. N. Krylov is currently being prepared. In addition, on behalf of the head of state, the preparation of the draft federal law "On Shipbuilding in the Russian Federation" is being completed. According to the members of the Maritime Board involved in this work, it will create conditions for the renewal and long-term development of the shipbuilding industry.

— Along with the Navy, the Coast Guard, which is part of the FSB Border Guard Service, is also involved in protecting Russian interests at sea. Will it strengthen too?

- of course. The decree of the Head of state approved the Strategy for the development of the naval personnel of the Federal Security Service for the period up to 2050. Its draft was developed by the FSB of Russia and was discussed at a meeting of the Maritime Board with the participation of interested ministries and departments. The strategy sets out the tasks of strengthening the protection of maritime borders, suppressing sabotage and terrorist activities, countering the illegal transportation of weapons, drugs, and illegally transported marine biological resources. Special attention is paid to the protection of coastal infrastructure from unmanned boats and UAVs.

For the first time, the adopted Strategy provides for the creation of a new look for the ship's personnel of the FSB bodies. In particular, it is planned to provide the coast guard with marine robotic complexes, new patrol ships and patrol boats. A special emphasis in the document is placed on the need to reconstruct the bases of the border ships.

The Navy as an attribute of a great power

— I can't help but ask you about the "issue price". The construction of warships, obviously, will require considerable budget expenditures? To what extent are such investments justified?

— In the coming decade, serious allocations are indeed envisaged for the construction of new ships and vessels of the Navy, which should be taken into account when forming the state armament program. And the state will seek unconditional fulfillment of contractual obligations from factories, shipyards and government customers.

The development of the fleet has always been a difficult and very resource-intensive task. But let me remind you that Russian and Soviet shipbuilders have created a number of unique ships that have gone down in history, and Russian sailors have made a huge contribution to the development of naval art. If we want to remain a world power, we simply have to develop the navy. At one time, Pyotr Arkadyevich Stolypin said at a meeting of the State Duma: "Any world power cannot but participate in world politics... and to give up the right to vote in the resolution of world events. The navy is a lever for exercising this right, it is an attribute of a great power." These words should not only be remembered today, but also taken as a guide to action.

Vitaly Tseplyaev