As part of the strategic exercise, cruise missiles were fired from surface ships and submarines
In order to maintain stability and balance of power in the world, Russia will continue to strengthen the strategic nuclear component of the Navy, President Vladimir Putin said, opening the Ocean-2024 exercises. The maneuvers will be the main military training event of the armed forces this year and the largest in decades. They are held in a bilateral format with the participation of the Chinese side under the overall leadership of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev. The last time an exercise of this magnitude was held was in 1985.
For the first time in decades
The Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, took part in a teleconference at the beginning of the active phase of the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024. In his opening remarks, he stressed that Russia must be ready for any development of events in order to repel military aggression, including in the oceanic and maritime zones.
— I would like to note that this is the first time in the last three decades that we have conducted such large-scale exercises at sea. They will simultaneously take place in the waters of the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the Mediterranean, the Caspian and the Baltic Seas. The forces of the Navy, long-range and military transport aviation units are involved in them. Ships and aircraft of the People's Liberation Army of China are also involved in working out practical actions, and representatives of 15 states have been invited as observers," the president said.
The President of the Russian Federation, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin, takes part in the teleconference mode at the beginning of the active phase of the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexander Kazakov
By the way, China has been participating in Russian strategic command and staff exercises regularly for several years, recalled Vasily Kashin, Director of the HSE Center for Integrated European and International Studies.
However, now, according to the expert, the participation of the PRC has been brought to a higher level, as more and more Chinese forces are participating in such training events.
The small artillery ship Veliky Ustyug of the Caspian Flotilla at the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— This is important for the development of interoperability, since recently the parties have been increasingly saying that they can work together to combat certain common threats and risks. These exercises show such preparation. Russia and China are not formally considered military allies, but such exercises force the enemy to plan their actions based on the fact that Russia and China can start acting together militarily in one situation or another, too. And this forces the enemy to be more careful," Vasily Kashin told Izvestia.
Moscow generally pays special attention to military cooperation with friendly states against the background of growing geopolitical tensions in the world, the president noted. The fact is that today the United States is actually provoking an arms race and creating prerequisites for a crisis situation in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, the head of state believes. This, according to him, risks breaking the established security architecture and the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region.
Ships of the Pacific Fleet at the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
— We see that the United States is trying to maintain its global military and political dominance at any cost, and for this purpose, using Ukraine, they seek to inflict a strategic defeat on our country. Under the pretext of countering the alleged Russian threat and deterring the People's Republic of China, the United States and its satellites are increasing their military presence near Russia's western borders, in the Arctic and in the Asia-Pacific region, Vladimir Putin said.
Moreover, the United States and its allies openly declare their plans to deploy medium-range and shorter-range missiles in the so-called advanced zones: the territories of islands in the western Pacific Ocean, as well as in some countries of the Asia-Pacific region, are considered as priority areas for their deployment.
Military personnel of the Arctic group of the Northern Fleet at the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
In order to maintain stability and balance of power in the world, Russia will continue to strengthen the strategic nuclear component of the Navy. Thus, within the framework of the exercises, issues of the integrated use of high-precision weapons and other promising weapons will be worked out, including taking into account the experience gained during a special military operation, the president stressed.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov took part in the strategic command and staff exercise. He added that the plans include "working out the tasks of repelling large—scale aggression of a likely enemy from ocean directions," as well as combating unmanned boats, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the defense of Naval bases.
Where are the Ocean-2024 exercises taking place
More than 90 thousand military personnel, over 400 ships and vessels, 125 aircraft, more than 7.5 thousand units of weapons and equipment are involved in the exercises. Including three ships, one vessel, and 15 aircraft from the People's Liberation Army of China, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, Commander-in—chief of the Navy, reported at a meeting held by the president.
According to the commander-in-chief, the Northern Fleet will act as a conditional enemy, it will be opposed by the Pacific, Baltic fleets and the Caspian Flotilla.
"Practical actions are being worked out in the waters of 13 marine areas in three strategic directions,— Admiral Moiseev said.
The commander-in-chief said that inter-fleet crossings of naval forces are planned as part of the maneuvers. He also noted that the experience gained by the Navy in a special military operation will be used during them.
The Varyag missile cruiser, the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, has begun conducting strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
On Tuesday, naval formations left the bases of the Baltic, Northern, Pacific Fleets and the Caspian Flotilla. The forces of the permanent task force of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea were also involved.
On the first day of the exercise, surface and submarines of the Pacific and Northern Fleets, as well as calculations of the coastal missile complexes "Bal" and "Bastion" conducted missile firing. The Mosquito, Kalibr, and X-35 missiles of the Uran missile system were used against the conditional enemy. The results of the fire damage were monitored using the Outpost-R UAV.
The main tasks of the exercises in the military department were called checking the readiness of the leadership of the associations and formations of the Russian Navy to manage heterogeneous groupings of forces in their areas of responsibility, solving non-standard operational tasks, the complex use of high-precision weapons, promising and modern models of weapons and military equipment, as well as expanding cooperation with the Navies of partner countries in solving joint tasks at sea.
The Ka-27 helicopter takes off from the deck of the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Panteleev of the Pacific Fleet during the strategic command and staff exercises Ocean-2024
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
At the first stage of the exercise, the military authorities will work out the issues of deploying groups in designated combat training ranges.
At the second stage, direct combat operations will be practiced, during which Russian forces will have to hit strategically important objects and forces of a conditional enemy, land naval landings on the coast, as well as protect objects of maritime economic activity and strategic communications.
What tasks are being solved at the Navy exercises
The fleet grouping is controlled from the ship of the measuring complex "Marshal Krylov". It is the largest ship in the Pacific Fleet and the only one of its kind. Its radio-electronic equipment allows the crew to communicate anywhere in the world. During the recent modernization of the ship, the communication range, functionality, and information transfer speed were increased.
A sailor on duty on the ship of the measurement complex "Marshal Krylov" of the Pacific Fleet of the Navy during the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
— This is a ship of the far sea zone. He can walk in different weather conditions, because there is a reinforced ice hull here," said Alexander Koshevoy, deputy commander of the ship. — Accordingly, the northern latitudes are also available to him. Its difference from all ships is that it allows you to control the Navy from anywhere in the world Ocean.
The main goals during such exercises are to achieve strategic objectives, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, ex—commander of the Pacific Fleet, told Izvestia.
— During such exercises, the transfer of fleet forces to other strategic areas is being worked out, — he noted. — In each strategic direction, the actions of the fleet forces to repel possible aggression are being worked out. In general, the most important thing is that, unlike exercises conducted by single fleets, during such exercises, the interaction of all fleets and the fulfillment of Navy tasks are worked out as a single organism, a single strategic association.
The corvettes "Loud" (left) and "Sharp" of the Pacific Fleet participate in the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
According to the admiral, during such exercises, the level of operational training of the command staff is increased, the interaction between the fleets is being worked out. And besides, the role of the Navy as a separate type of armed forces capable of solving strategic tasks in the most remote areas of the World Ocean is increasing.
Sergey Avakyants noted that in recent decades, maneuvers of this scale have not been conducted in the Russian navy.
In Soviet times, such exercises took place in the oceanic direction under the leadership of the fleet command, Admiral Igor Kasatonov, ex-first deputy commander of the Russian Navy, told Izvestia. Up to one and a half thousand ships and auxiliary vessels were involved in them. And the idea of holding them belonged to the famous commander-in-chief of the Navy, Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Sergei Gorshkov.
Launch of the P-270 Moskit cruise anti-ship missile during the Okean-2024 strategic command and staff exercises
Image source: Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov
— Then all the fleets went to sea. They operated in the Barents Sea, in the North Atlantic, and other areas," the admiral explained. — A whole range of tasks is being solved there. Someone is conducting anti-submarine search operations, someone is acting at the turn, someone is conducting events in the air, someone is conducting blockade operations. Everyone is preparing for D-Day, when the mass of all forces will come out and control will be carried out for several days of the main phase. And the use of weapons is a very serious matter. There must be contacts with submarines, aviation must establish contact with aircraft carriers, fleets must gain dominance, the situation must be fully illuminated.
PLA Navy ships joined the maneuvers
On Tuesday, a meeting of warships of the Russian Navy and the Navy of the People's Liberation Army of China took place in the waters of the northern part of Peter the Great Bay. From the Chinese side, four warships and a supply vessel are involved in the exercise.
During the communication negotiations, the parties discussed the nearest action plan, formed a joint detachment of ships and began to carry out the tasks assigned to the exercise.
The Linyi frigate of the PLA Navy at the strategic command and staff exercises "Ocean-2024"
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Groupings of forces of the Pacific Fleet and the Chinese Navy will work out joint practical actions for the defense of maritime communications and areas of maritime economic activity in the Primorsky direction.
The Ocean exercises in Soviet times were held in 1970, 1975, 1977, 1983 and 1985. They were the largest combat training events of the Soviet Navy in the post-war period and the largest in world history.
Roman Kretsul
Alyona Nefedova
Vladimir Matveev
