Putin Approves Strategy to Strengthen Russian Naval Power

Russia Eyeing Future Naval Battleship for 2050
The strategy, officially named “The Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050”, was signed by Putin in late May. The head of the security council, Yuri V.

Patrushev, a longtime associate of the president and a former KGB officer, spun the decision as a crucial step in restoring Russia to a point in history when it was still “one of the leading maritime countries of the world.”

He noted that the development of such a strategy is only possible if the situation in the oceans is considered in the long term, which also requires identifying future threats and challenges, as well as a definition of strategic tasks, which the Russian Navy must solve.

“Russia’s role as one of the leading marine powers of the world is being restored bit-by-bit,” Patrushev said. He gave no further indication of the contents of the new plan, but spoke of ensuring that naval development was forward-looking with vision.

Fleet and Global Strength
Despite setbacks in Ukraine, Russia still has the world's third most powerful navy, after China and the United States. Russia then is devoting significantly higher levels of spending on defence and security, measured in relation to its GDP and potentially in relation to its GNP – as during the Cold War, with data from previous periods less complete and poorer.

According to open data, Russia maintains 79 submarines, including 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, as well as 222 warships. The Russian Navy’s primary command centre is the Northern Fleet, headquartered in Severomorsk on the Barents Sea.

Other naval powers, meanwhile, are on the rise. 2021 reports suggested that China had the world’s biggest navy and could have 460 battle force ships by 2030.

Approval of Russia’s 2050 naval strategy is a timed response to its overall efforts to adjust to global maritime developments and expand the presence of its military forces at sea in the decades to come.