The Russian Mediterranean squadron will have six or seven warships and several support vessels that can operate in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, if need be. The US Sixth Fleet has from 40 to 50 warships, including one or two aircraft carriers. These are incomparable forces. The federal armament program provides for the presence of about 20 warships of various designations in the Black Sea by late 2020.
Domestic and international media have paid significant attention to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s recent visit to the naval base that is under construction in Novorossiysk, the celebration of the Black Sea Fleet’s 230th anniversary, and the recent statement made by the fleet’s Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov regarding the formation of a Russian warship squadron that will maintain a permanent presence on the Mediterranean Sea.
Some experts believe the Kremlin is trying to rekindle the geopolitical influence that the Soviet Union once had over the region. Others doubt that this is possible, as Russia’s economic and military potential is a far cry from the Soviet Union’s. There is no need for this now that the confrontation between the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries and the United States and NATO fell into oblivion long ago. Moreover, the Black Sea Fleet and the Russian Navy cannot compete with the Mediterranean-based US Sixth Fleet.
Indeed, Russia is not going to compete with anyone on the Mediterranean Sea, although it has its own interests there as a naval power.
First, Russian ships should move to remote warm seas such as the Mediterranean. They need to undergo practical training in the world’s oceans during all seasons of the year and in all types of weather. Without doing so, they won’t be real sailors. When the sailors of the North Fleet, the Baltic Fleet or the Pacific Fleet cover thousands of miles circling around Eurasia to reach the Middle East, they gain otherwise unattainable seafaring experience.
Second, the Mediterranean Sea remains geopolitical focus of many countries, as was the case in the past. As a major power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia cannot turn a blind eye to the problems in this region. In cooperation with other responsible states, it makes efforts to counter terrorism, piracy, religious extremism, illegal migration, drug trafficking and the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction and missile technology. Now, warships belonging to Russia, NATO countries and their partners are protecting merchant vessels against Somali pirates in the vicinity of the African Horn.
It is also important to consider the following fact. Russian warships are not going to confront the US Sixth Fleet, but they have a reason to watch its frigates armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Aegis missile defense systems. These frigates can enter the Black Sea, from which their Tomahawks can reach many vital targets in Russia. To prevent them from doing so is another task of Russian warships. Another goal of the Russian Navy is to prevent hotheads on the Mediterranean Sea from attacking countries in the region by maintaining a presence and demonstrating the St. Andrew flag.
Some politicians and experts have rightly stated that a Russian naval presence on the sea will facilitate stabilization in this area of the world.
Will the warships on the Mediterranean Sea, including those of the Black Sea Fleet, succeed in coping with these tasks? It is impossible to give an unequivocal answer to this question. Let’s wait and see, as they say.
To resolve these and other tasks, Russia should develop and modernize its navy. The first two frigates – Admiral Essen and Admiral Grigorovich – are being built and tested at the Amber Plant in Kaliningrad. At the same time, the construction of the Novorossiysk diesel-electric submarine will soon end at the Admiralty Shipyards Plant in St. Petersburg. They will arrive in Novorossiysk next summer. This is why Shoigu is paying serious attention to the new naval base on the Black Sea coast. All in all, the Russian Navy is supposed to have six frigates such as the Admiral Essen and six diesel-electric submarines such as Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. The federal armament program provides for the presence of about 20 warships of various designations in the Black Sea by late 2020.
These warships will arrive in Novorossiysk rather than Sevastopol, for several reasons. First, Ukraine has not agreed to let Russia send new warships to the Sevastopol naval base for reasons only known to its leaders. It insists that Russia can only replace one ship with another or one aircraft with another. However, many ships based in this city of Russian naval glory do not need replacement. Despite their age, they can still serve for many years after minor repairs and modernization. However, the tunnel mentality of Ukrainian politicians has already become a household word, and it is pointless to try and convince them of anything. Novorossiysk won’t replace Sevastopol but will seriously supplement it. At a meeting in Novorossiysk in May, Shoigu spoke about the construction of a new airport near the city that will accommodate new bombers and fighters that are now under construction for the Black Sea Fleet.
Some experts maintain that NATO is concerned over the Russian naval buildup on the Mediterranean and Black seas. I think that these apprehensions are groundless. The Russian Mediterranean squadron will have six or seven warships and several support vessels that can operate in the Atlantic and Indian oceans, if need be. The US Sixth Fleet has from 40 to 50 warships, including one or two aircraft carriers. These are incomparable forces, especially considering that France, Italy, Greece and other NATO countries also have warships on the Mediterranean Sea. It has been said more than once that we are partners rather than enemies. It is ridiculous to speak about confrontation in this context. Sensible people see the difference between reality and insinuations.
Views expressed are of individual Members and Contributors, rather than the Club's, unless explicitly stated otherwise.