Against the background of a total hybrid war against the West, Russia is changing its Maritime doctrine. The correction of the document was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov. According to him, in wartime it will become easier to use civilian vessels and crews for the needs of the Navy. First of all, container ships, tankers and icebreakers will be needed. How useful is the civilian fleet for Russia's combat potential in the World Ocean?
Speaking on Friday in St. Petersburg at a meeting of the Maritime Board at the Admiralty, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said it was necessary to adjust Russia's Maritime doctrine. According to him, the revision of the document was required against the background of a special operation in Ukraine and the total hybrid war of the collective West being waged against Russia. The aim of the adjustment will be to "increase the capacity to ensure and protect national interests in the oceans", which is vital for our country.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, fundamentally new provisions of the doctrine will affect mobilization readiness. "What is especially important now is that all these measures will ensure the commissioning of civilian vessels and crews into the Navy, the functioning of marine infrastructure facilities in wartime," he explained.
The new version of the doctrine, Borisov promises, will fully respond to modern challenges and threats. At the same time, it will be aimed not at confrontation, but at "improving national security" and reducing the dependence of Russia's maritime activities on external influence and conjuncture.
The former commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Valuev, notes that the current Naval Doctrine also allows you to mobilize civilian vessels to help the Navy in wartime conditions. "This document assumes close cooperation of the navy with civilian vessels, including fishing vessels," Valuev recalled.
The changes in the doctrine will be aimed at strengthening this interaction, the admiral did not rule out, starting with tactical reconnaissance, which can also be carried out by civilian vessels, including fishing vessels. "The adjustment of the Naval Doctrine is aimed at setting clearer tasks for civil departments," Valuev suggested.
"First of all, the nuclear icebreaking fleet, which has no equal in the world, will be in demand, which became especially important with the beginning of the development of the Northern Sea Route.
As for small civilian ships, they can be used as minesweepers, especially if their hulls are made of plastic or wood",
– the admiral thinks.
"The new civil vessels that are currently being built in Russia (by the way, by the decision of the same deputy chairman of the government, Yuri Borisov) have a dual purpose. During the mobilization period, they turn into auxiliary and military vessels," Valuev told the newspaper VZGLYAD.
The adjustment of the doctrine was required because the last doubts disappeared that the conflict with the West would be long-lasting, suggests captain of the III rank of the reserve Maxim Klimov. However, in Russia there are "great difficulties with the equipment" that can be installed on civilian vessels for their participation in hostilities, the captain complains. By the way, in Soviet times, according to him, much more attention was paid to these issues.
In wartime, the civilian fleet should turn into a "floating rear," Klimov recalls. Some military tasks in Syria are already being "solved by civilian vessels", because after the start of the Ukrainian operation, Turkey closed the Bosphorus to our Navy, and as a result, Russian warships were locked in the Black Sea.
As for the civil fleet, Klimov added, "today one of the most pressing issues is the lack of a container fleet. Our shipbuilders urgently need to solve this task, which is technically quite feasible." At the same time, the captain explained, there are many ships with Russian crews in the World Ocean today, which, however, do not legally belong to our country – they fly under the flags of other countries, therefore they will not fall under mobilization.
In any case, experts are sure that the involvement of civilian ships in the performance of military tasks will increase the combat potential of Russia. "In order to solve different tasks, the Ministry of Defense uses different models of ships during mobilization," says Konstantin Sivkov, Doctor of Military Sciences, captain of the first rank of the reserve. – First of all, container ships will be mobilized, which, with the help of special conversion kits, can become a floating platform for take-off and landing of combat helicopters. That's exactly what the British did during the Falklands War with the Argentines," Sivkov recalled.
In addition, civilian vessels can be used for transportation and landing, having previously equipped them with air defense systems. "But first of all, tankers and cargo ships will be mobilized to solve the tasks of transporting goods and means of the armed forces.
The military can also use passenger ships to transport personnel, the expert adds. "It is also possible to mobilize smaller vessels, such as port tugs, which will be used for their intended purpose, or as minesweepers, to clear the coastal waters of sea mines. Trawlers can also be used as light anti–submarine ships or simply to maintain a favorable "operational regime" in the areas where our fleet is based, that is, in fact, for reconnaissance," Sivkov added.
Ilya Kramnik, a researcher at IMEMO RAS, recalled that the civil and merchant fleets have long been considered by the maritime powers as a reserve for the Navy. For example, for military transportation. "During the wars and in the pre-war period, many countries mobilized merchant fleets to perform military tasks. The last largest mobilization of this kind was carried out, for example, in the UK during the Falklands War of 1982," Kramnik told the Profile. As the expert recalls, Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, the commander-in-chief of the USSR Navy, also stated the same thing in the 70s.
According to Kramnik, first of all, icebreakers can be mobilized in Russia, "since the nuclear icebreaker fleet and the transport fleet in general in the North will have a very heavy load on the supply of polar military bases."
As you know, the current Naval Doctrine has been in effect since July 2017, when it was approved by President Vladimir Putin. The document, designed until 2030, focuses on building up the naval grouping and technological modernization of the fleet - "in connection with the intensification of the struggle among the world powers" for the resources of the oceans and sea transport routes. The main task of the doctrine is to prevent the "significant superiority of the naval forces of other states" over the Navy. In addition, the task of creating an aircraft carrier complex was set separately.
Apparently, these points of the doctrine are being successfully implemented. During a meeting at the St. Petersburg Admiralty, Borisov announced that the Navy will soon accept dozens of new ships. "Modern Russia cannot exist without a strong fleet. This year, it is planned to receive another 20 warships and five boats, as well as 21 support vessels," the Deputy Prime Minister said. Borisov added that 10 ships and six support vessels were laid under the state defense order last year. Six warships, nine combat boats and 13 support vessels were accepted into the Navy.
According to the portal Prtnews, in 2020, the fleet of ships flying the flag of Russia amounted to 296 units. At the same time, there are 18 container ships in the dry cargo fleet. As part of the navy under foreign flags, which, however, is controlled by Russian shipowners, there were eight container ships.
Alyona Zadorozhnaya, Andrey Rezchikov
