Putin Has Greenlit 25-Year Plan to Boost Russian Sea Power, Top Adviser Says

The Russian president approved the strategy late last month, according to the top Kremlin adviser and former security chief.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently approved a 25-year naval strategy aimed at restoring Russia’s position as a leading maritime power, top Kremlin adviser Nikolai Patrushev has said.

According to Patrushev, the wide-ranging strategy document lays out the “key requirements for the future combat composition of the [Russian] fleet and its primary tasks in peacetime and wartime.”

In an interview with Russia’s Argumenty i Fakti newspaper, he said the document “answers the question of what Russia’s naval power should be so that our country can effectively defend its interests in the global maritime theater.”

Patrushev added that, in July of last year, the Kremlin decided to prepare the new strategy, a draft of which was later drawn up by the Russian Ministry of Defence with input from relevant “federal departments and organizations.”

Putin approved the final strategy document on May 30, Patrushev said in the interview, which was published on June 9.

The decision, he added, demonstrates that the development of a “powerful and modern [naval] fleet” remains one of Moscow’s top priorities.

“I can say that this kind of strategic planning document has been adopted for the first time in modern history,” Patrushev said. “Russia’s position as one of the world’s great maritime powers is gradually being restored.”

The document, he added, provides an assessment of the global “military-political situation,” identifies potential flashpoints for future conflicts, and compares the relative strength of the world’s leading maritime powers.

It also reviews the “current state and capabilities of the [Russian] Navy, taking into account the experience of the special military operation,” Patrushev said.

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

Since then, the Russian navy has sustained several high-profile losses in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine, especially in the Black Sea.

Russia’s formidable Black Sea Fleet is currently based in the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014 after holding a referendum.

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

Force to Be Reckoned With

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

According to open-source data, the Russian Navy has roughly 160,000 active personnel and more than 220 functioning warships. It also maintains dozens of submarines, several of which are nuclear-powered and capable of launching ballistic missiles.

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

Since its conflict with Ukraine began more than three years ago, Moscow has increased defense and security spending to levels not seen since the Cold War.

According to Patrushev, Russia’s new naval strategy calls for the development of technological innovations that would allow it to outpace fleets of rival nations.

“It is necessary to develop and build ships with tactical and technical properties that would allow surpassing foreign fleets,” he said in the interview, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.

With this in mind, he added, the strategy calls for the development of “innovative technologies, including boosting the number of domestic maritime robotic systems.”

Patrushev previously served as the head of both Russia’s FSB security service and its powerful National Security Council. Along with being a top adviser to Putin, he also currently serves as chairman of Russia’s newly established Maritime Collegium.

According to TASS, the Maritime Collegium was established last year with the aim of enhancing Russian naval power, developing the Northern Sea Route (linking Eurasia to the Asia-Pacific), and ensuring Russian access to global maritime routes.

Reuters contributed to this report.