3 Russian Naval Fleets Conduct Wide-Ranging Drills in Pacific, Arctic Oceans

Exercises involve more than 150 ships, 120 aircraft, and at least 15,000 military personnel, Russia’s defense ministry says.

A Russian naval vessel fires an anti-ship missile in the Sea of Japan on March 28, 2023. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

The Russian navy has begun holding military drills in the Pacific and Arctic oceans and the Baltic and Caspian seas, according to Moscow’s defense ministry.

In a July 23 statement, the ministry said the five-day exercises—dubbed “July Storm”—were meant to test the navy’s readiness to “perform nonconventional operational tasks, [and the] deployment of long-range precision weaponry, unmanned systems ... and armored hardware.”

According to the statement, which was posted on the ministry’s Telegram channel, the drills involve more than 150 ships, 120 aircraft, 10 coastal missile defense systems, 950 units of military hardware, and more than 15,000 military personnel.

During the exercises, naval vessels will “deploy in combat employment areas, engage in anti-ship actions, [and] defend bases of operations and economic activity,” the statement reads.

They will also practice repelling attacks by incoming air- and seaborne drones and “practice strikes at objects and surface groups of the enemy,” it states.

Moscow’s Northern, Pacific, and Baltic fleets, along with its Caspian Flotilla, will take part in the exercises, which will wrap up on July 27, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.

The drills are being overseen by Adm. Aleksandr Moiseyev, who has served as commander-in-chief of the Russian navy since 2024.

In 2022, Russia invaded and effectively annexed large swaths of eastern and southeastern Ukraine in what Moscow refers to as a “special military operation.”

Since then, the Russian navy has sustained a number of high-profile losses in its ongoing conflict with Ukrainian forces, especially in the Black Sea.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is currently based in the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. The region, then under control of Russian forces, declared its independence from Ukraine after holding a referendum.

The Russian invasion of Crimea began in late February 2014, and the referendum was held on March 16 and is not internationally recognized.

Moscow’s largest naval fleet—the Northern Fleet—operates out of the Russian city of Severomorsk near the Barents Sea.

Despite recent losses at sea, Russia is widely believed to still maintain the world’s third most powerful naval force after those of the United States and China.

According to open-source data, the Russian navy has approximately 160,000 active personnel and more than 220 functioning warships, including 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines capable of firing ballistic missiles.

A Russian serviceman aboard a warship during naval exercises at an undisclosed location in this still image from a video released on July 30, 2024. Russian Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters

25-Year Strategy

In late May, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved an ambitious 25-year naval strategy aimed at securing Russia’s position as a leading maritime power.

In June, Nikolai Patrushev, a top Kremlin adviser, told Russian state media that the strategy document approved by Putin laid out the “basic requirements for the future combat strength of the [Russian] fleet [and] its main tasks in peacetime and wartime.”

In an interview with Russia’s Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, he stated that the document seeks to “answer the question of what Russia’s naval power should be so that [Russia] can effectively defend its interests” in the global maritime theater.

It also provides an assessment of the global “military-political situation,” identifies flashpoints for future conflicts, and compares the relative strength of the world’s leading sea powers, Patrushev said in the interview.

In addition, the strategy document reviews the “current state and capabilities of the [Russian] navy, taking into account the experience of the special military operation” in Ukraine, he said.

According to Patrushev, the document also calls for the development of technological innovations that would allow the Russian navy to outpace those of rival nations.

“It is necessary to develop and build ships with tactical and technical properties that would allow the surpassing of foreign fleets,” he said in the interview, excerpts of which were cited by TASS.

Along with being a top adviser to Putin, Patrushev currently serves as chairman of Russia’s newly established Maritime College.

The Maritime College was founded in 2024 to enhance Russian naval power, develop the Northern Sea Route (linking Eurasia to the Asia-Pacific), and ensure Russia’s continued access to critical sea lanes, according to TASS.