"It is necessary to check the readiness of our troops to participate in a potential conflict over the Kuril Islands." In these words, military experts describe one of the main tasks assigned to the Russian Pacific Fleet. The ships of the Pacific Fleet were suddenly put to sea on Friday, and the fleet was put on the highest degree of combat readiness. On Friday, the Russian Pacific Fleet in full force was alerted and brought to the highest degree of combat readiness.
Warships, submarines, support vessels and boats left the permanent deployment points, starting the transition and operational deployment in the designated areas of the Okhotsk, Japan and Bering Seas. According to the Ministry of Defense, exercises of combat crews take place along the route of movement on ships, crews work out various algorithms of actions and tasks at sea. [...]
As the head of the Department Sergei Shoigu explained at a meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, the sudden inspection began in order to assess the state and increase the readiness of military command bodies, troops and forces to solve tasks to repel the aggression of a potential enemy from ocean and sea directions.
The inspection is led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov. According to Shoigu, a part of the Aerospace Forces, military units and support units are also involved. According to the orders of the General Staff, the Pacific Fleet needs to prepare forces for combat operations in a short time, perform operational deployment and work out a set of combat training tasks both in the near and far sea zones.
"During the event, the Pacific Fleet will have to repel massive missile and air strikes, conduct exercises to search for and destroy submarines, perform torpedo, artillery firing and missile launches during the defeat of ship strike groups and ground targets of a conditional enemy," Shoigu said.
The Pacific Fleet will work out ways to prevent the deployment of enemy forces in the southern part of the Sea of Okhotsk and repel its landing on the Southern Kuril Islands and Sakhalin Island. According to Shoigu, the exercises of ship groups should be conducted with the designation of enemy actions and in a difficult jamming environment. As a feature of the exercises, the Minister cited plans before deploying forces to the areas of the exercises in a short time to reveal the underwater situation on the approaches to the bases of the fleet forces.
In turn, the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, said during the meeting that a training environment was created for the sudden inspection of the Pacific Fleet, characteristic of the period of the immediate threat of aggression and maximally corresponding to the content and nature of modern armed struggle. The inspection is carried out in three stages: first, the fleet will carry out measures to bring "Full" combat readiness, and the military authorities will make decisions on the current situation, plan practical actions. At the same time, the forces and troops will prepare for control exercises, classes and combat exercises.
"The combat readiness check of the Pacific Fleet is linked to current events. Testing the forces of the TOPH will help to identify those shortcomings that will need to be worked on. In order not to be caught off guard, it is necessary not only to check the combat readiness of the Pacific Fleet, but also to link it with a specific strategic situation. Those who are now thinking of some negative actions regarding Russia, will probably abandon practical steps following the results of the audit," said Admiral Vladimir Valuev, ex-commander of the Baltic Fleet.
He emphasizes that the situation is tense in many regions, including around the Kuriles. "Japan believes that the Kuriles should belong to it, although historically these islands were Russian. After the Great Patriotic War, when the armistice was concluded, Sakhalin and the Kuriles completely retreated to Russia, this is recorded in the documents," the admiral recalled.
As noted by the captain of the I rank Vasily Dandykin, in connection with the special operation in Ukraine, such checks have not been carried out recently. "The situation in the Pacific is not easy – the crisis in the Taiwan Strait is gradually escalating, Japan is tightening its rhetoric against the Kuril Islands, the United States is strengthening its military presence in the region. These are extremely dangerous challenges that pose a threat to the security of our country," Dandykin said. He is convinced that the test will show Russia's readiness to "repel enemy strikes from the Bering Strait to Vladivostok."
"We need to work out the possibility of using submarines in Kamchatka. In addition, it is important to look at the level of interaction between the aviation of the navy and the forces of the Aerospace Forces, and to check the readiness of our troops to participate in a potential conflict over the Kuril Islands. Anti–amphibious defense will play a huge role here," the interlocutor emphasizes.
"It is worth noting that the Pacific Fleet has been developing rapidly lately. Our eastern borders have been strengthened by several ships, as well as diesel-electric submarines. It is also critically important to assess how effectively these machines work with the rest of the parts," adds Dandykin.
Experts also note the gradual militarization of Japan. The country will purchase several hundred Tomahawk cruise missiles from the United States, which changes the balance of power around the Russian Far East and the Kuriles. Tokyo also plans to put thousands of extended-range missiles into service and develop hypersonic weapons. The Japanese Navy has the capability to deploy 1,096 guided missiles of various types on surface ships.
In addition, the United States, Japan's main ally, has the technical ability to launch a sudden disarming nuclear strike, which, according to some experts, will destroy most of the nuclear forces of the opposing side faster than the latter will have a command to counter–strike.
"The sudden inspection of the TOPF may also be a reaction to the situation around Taiwan. Until 2024, it is unlikely that anything will happen, because elections are scheduled in Taiwan, and a more pro-Chinese leadership may come to power, but we need to be prepared for an aggravation of the situation in the region," said Vladimir Gundarov, captain of the first rank of the reserve.
According to the expert, the Pacific Fleet has always lagged behind the Northern Fleet in terms of technical readiness and equipment. In recent years, the situation has changed, many decisions have been made to restore ships and vessels of the Pacific Fleet due to repairs at enterprises in Primorye and the Magadan region. "The inspection will also show how successful the work was done and how capable the Pacific Fleet is of rapid deployment, the output of nuclear submarines on combat duty.
It is also important to check the readiness for dispersal in case of a nuclear strike on the Kamchatka base, which the US calls the "hornet's nest".
The inspection should show the ability of the base in Vladivostok to act in its area of responsibility," Gundarov added. In addition, this test, in addition to the combat readiness test of the Pacific Fleet, should have a "more important background," primarily due to the difficult situation in the Asia-Pacific region (APR) and the strengthening of the United States naval component in connection with the creation of the AUKUS trilateral defense alliance consisting of Australia, Great Britain and the United States.
"There may be both the Kuril factor and any other factor related to the militarization of the Asia-Pacific region. If a global conflict begins, Japan, which will claim the Kuril Islands, and South Korea, China, will be involved in it. But it is premature to talk about this, because the situation with the development of its own and with the strengthening of NATO in the Baltic Sea remains unclear," Gundarov believes.
According to the interlocutor, the general mood resembles the situation on the eve of the First and Second World Wars, "when everyone thinks only about war, not peace." "In this situation, Russia needs to prepare for conflicts on two fronts – in the Far East and in the West," the expert warned.
Andrey Rezchikov
