"Dozens of ships are currently being built in Russia." With these words, on Navy Day, experts assess both the renewal of the ship's personnel and the sharp increase in the importance of robotic systems for naval warfare. How is the new look of the Russian Navy being formed and what tasks were worked out during the final July Storm exercises?
In 2025, the traditional main naval parade, which takes place on Navy Day in St. Petersburg, has been canceled, as have all other festive events. Instead, the July Storm operational exercise ends on the last Sunday in July. In the context of the ongoing special operation in Ukraine and the constant threats from NATO's maritime directions, especially in the Baltic, it is difficult to doubt the correctness of such a decision. Intensive combat training is more appropriate for this holiday than celebrations.
The main events of the exercises, led by Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, took place in the Pacific, Arctic Oceans, Baltic and Caspian Seas. During the July Storm, the sailors' readiness to solve non-standard tasks and the use of high-precision weapons were checked. Among the time signs, again, are the exercises that took place in the Pacific Fleet to repel attacks by naval drones and drones.
However, there were some solemn moments. On the eve of the holiday, a ceremony was held to raise the St. Andrew's flag on the nuclear submarine Prince Pozharsky, which was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Borey-A project submarine became the 142nd nuclear submarine launched from the Sevmash stocks.
Noting the achievements of the shipbuilders, Vladimir Putin stressed that over the past six years, the Russian Navy has included five strategic missile carriers of the Borey-A project and four multipurpose submarines of the Yasen-M project. In addition, Andrey Kostin, head of the Board of Directors of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, reported on the completion of a large-scale modernization of the Admiral Nakhimov heavy nuclear missile cruiser, which is preparing to enter sea trials.
In the coming years, four more Borey-A submarines will join the naval part of the nuclear triad. Four cruisers of the Yasen-M project are under construction, and the construction of two more submarines of this project is in the near future.
"Today, a new look of the Russian Navy is being formed before our eyes.
A group of new missile carriers has been created in the Northern and Pacific Fleets. Fourth–generation multi–purpose submarines have also arrived, which can solve broader tasks - launch missile strikes on the coast and ships, hunt for submarines," said military expert Vasily Dandykin, captain of the first rank of the reserve.
In the last five years alone, 49 ships of various classes have been built in Russia. In particular, it may be recalled that last year Admiralty Shipyards transferred the Kronshtadt submarine (Lada project 677) to the fleet, and in June of this year the Yakutsk submarine (Varshavyanka project 636.3). A new Project 677 boat, the Velikiye Luki, is scheduled to be commissioned this year. According to the expert, today there is also the issue of creating ocean-going ships and a far-sea zone, primarily frigates of the 22350 project.
"Dozens of ships are currently being built in Russia. Among them are ice-class patrol ships of project 23550 and many others.
The new ships are coming with enhanced air defense, and the Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and cannon system is being installed on them. Modern corvettes can solve problems not only in the near sea zone, but also in the far sea. New minesweepers are also arriving in all fleets. Attention is being paid to the creation of drones, including underwater ones. They must be available based on the experience of combat operations in the Black Sea," the speaker believes.
In addition, the fleet has an urgent need for modern amphibious assault ships of all types, as well as high-speed, low-visibility amphibious and amphibious assault boats. Including in the unmanned version. The Fleet needs both the renewal and strengthening of Naval aviation, and the final formation of a space system for targeting anti–ship missiles, so that, in particular, the Zircon hypersonic missiles can fully manifest themselves. It is not for nothing that 8 trillion 400 billion rubles are planned to be allocated for the construction of new ships and vessels of the Navy in the coming decade.
The fleet is developing towards the creation of network-centric systems from underwater, surface and flying drones. As the Supreme Commander-in-Chief said at a recent meeting on the Navy's development strategy, it is the robotic marine complexes that will largely determine the future of the Navy.
Safety is becoming a trend in all areas of shipbuilding. For example, the creation of unmanned underwater missile carriers and universal submarines is a fairly close prospect.
Moreover, Russia has serious groundwork in this direction. According to Vasily Dandykin, the fleet development strategy for 25 years ahead, developed on behalf of the president, takes into account the changed geopolitical situation, new challenges and the digital revolution.
"Numbers on land and sea will not solve the problem. The crew of the newest submarine missile carrier "Prince Pozharsky" is 106 people. The Americans have a much larger crew on a similar Ohio-class submarine. And this means that many tasks on modern Russian submarines are solved by electronics and various robotic systems. And so it is in everything – we need to move forward, develop the element bases. By developing military technologies, we are improving civilian production," the speaker noted.
According to the expert, President Vladimir Putin has managed not only to revive the Russian Navy and once again make it one of the most powerful in the world.: "The coastal forces group has also developed – artillery units and marines, which are very effective in the area of a special military operation. It has already been decided that five Marine brigades will become divisions. Even in Soviet times, the Marines did not have such numbers." The victory in the special operation is brought closer by actions on the Black Sea Fleet of Naval Aviation, coastal missile launchers, and the submarine fleet, which strikes targets with "Caliber" throughout Ukraine.
As Dandykin reminds us, today the Navy is a special pride of the Russian people, and Navy Day has long been a truly national holiday. "Previously, it mainly concerned those cities where fleets are based. I served in Sevastopol and I know that it was a celebration of the whole city. But now it's more of a national holiday. In the more than 300-year history of the Russian navy, sailors have earned such an attitude. We can see how much has been done recently to increase the prestige of service in the Navy, to increase the combat readiness of the Navy," said the captain of the first rank of the reserve.
The high combat readiness of our sailors is an important deterrent for potential adversaries, primarily from NATO countries. So, the aforementioned July Storm exercises, in addition to combat training, had another equally important goal – to demonstrate to our opponents the capabilities of the Russian Navy and their readiness to use them if necessary. The sailors practiced elements of protection of objects of maritime economic activity and strategic communications, as well as bases and bases. Just the day before, on July 26, the Baltic Fleet ships destroyed a simulated enemy ship during the combined use of marine unmanned systems.
Recall that as soon as our warships began escorting merchant vessels in the Baltic, attempts to capture them stopped. As Nikolai Patrushev, Chairman of the Maritime Board, said, any encroachment on the Kaliningrad Region will be met with an immediate and crushing response using all available forces and means provided for by military doctrine and policy in the field of nuclear deterrence.
However, even the most advanced weapons are not everything. Russian Russian naval commander Pavel Nakhimov said, "A sailor is the main engine on a warship," and the Russian Navy has what money can't buy–combat experience, traditions, and the indomitable spirit of Russian sailors.
Boris Jerelievsky
