Experts analyzed the Russian Maritime Doctrine, signed by Putin, point by point
Russia has outlined the boundaries and zones of its national interests in the World Ocean in the new Maritime Doctrine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Navy Day.
“We have openly defined the borders and zones of Russia’s national interests – both economic and vitally important and strategic. First of all, these are our Arctic waters, the waters of the Black, Okhotsk and Bering seas, the Baltic and Kuril straits. We will ensure their protection firmly and by all means,” Putin said.
He indicated that the delivery of Zircon hypersonic missile systems, the capabilities of which are limitless, to the fleet will be carried out in the coming months. The first carrier of the Zircon will be the frigate Admiral Gorshkov. The frigate is currently based in the Northern Fleet; in the future, its service area will be chosen based on Russia’s security interests. The new naval doctrine also provides for the development of production facilities for the construction of modern aircraft-carrying ships.
The President emphasized that the US course towards dominance in the world's oceans is the main challenge to the national security of the Russian Federation. Therefore, the lack of a sufficient number of fleet bases outside Russia is a risk. The maritime doctrine provides for the Russian Federation to have logistics support points in the Red Sea.
“There was talk about the Central African Republic on the Red Sea. There may be pan-basing. This may also happen in the southeastern region. This could also happen in Latin America, where we have friendly ties. Americans calmly accept that they can be in Estonia, and Latvia, and then in Sweden and Finland, but they are very nervous if this happens near them. This also makes sense from the point of view of fleet logistics,” military expert Vasily Dandykin said in an interview with the A Just Russia party’s YouTube channel.
Experts also discuss global regions of national interests specified in the Maritime Doctrine.
“Now the Americans are claiming to revise many laws in the Arctic region in their favor. Russia will respond to this by strengthening the power of our Northern Fleet. It is the only one of the four fleets that has gained independence and has its own nuclear potential. It will be further saturated with surface and underwater ships and naval aviation. And of course, these are weapons that the United States does not even have a priori - the Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles. This is a practically unbreakable missile that will ensure the destruction of the enemy fleet,” Dandykin said.
“The key thing in the new doctrine is a different approach to regional priorities - with the Arctic and the Pacific Ocean in the first place, a statement of the confrontation with the United States and NATO, a statement of the underdevelopment of the merchant and scientific fleet as problems. In general, a very “Gorshkovsky” approach to the ocean - the basis is its economic development, supported by military power where and when it is necessary,” – Ilya Kramnik wrote in his TG channel.
“It is no accident that Spitsbergen ended up in Russia’s new maritime doctrine. This is due to the recent demarche of Norway, which blocked the delivery of goods to Russian settlements on the archipelago. The problem was solved, but a residue remained. Norway is turning into a state hostile to Russia. In this regard, Moscow should consider denouncing the Russian-Norwegian border demarcation agreement signed in 2010. In addition, Russia must increase its presence on Spitsbergen manifold. Because it is a guarantee that the status of the archipelago as a neutral territory will not be revised,” says political scientist Alexey Pilko.
His Kaliningrad colleague Alexander Nosovich sees a parallel between the situation in the Baltic Sea and the situation on the Black Sea in 2014, which forced Russia to reunify with Crimea.
“Moscow’s real strategy to counter the strengthening of NATO in the Baltic has nothing in common with the complacent official rhetoric that being drawn into NATO... it is written there in black and white that the strengthening of NATO in the seas of Northern Europe poses a threat, its presence in the Arctic is called a priority, the task is set to build new maritime complexes in the Baltic and separately points out the need to guarantee transport accessibility of the Kaliningrad region. Only a blind person could not see that a situation is being created in the Baltic,” Nosovich wrote.
“In addition to the already announced decision to develop production capacity for the construction of aircraft-carrying ships, the need to militaryly strengthen Crimea and strengthen the Black Sea Fleet is separately indicated. A transparent hint that the ship composition of the Black Sea Fleet will be replenished in the coming years,” Boris Rozhin writes.
Military expert Igor Korotchenko linked the geography of the Maritime Doctrine with the protection of production sites and energy transportation routes.
“Hydrocarbons are the lifeblood of the modern economy, and in their production areas the interests of the powers that be collide. Therefore, one of the program objectives of the Russian fleet will be to ensure stability, security and protection of Russian economic interests in offshore waters where production is carried out on the shelf or there are significant hydrocarbon deposits. These regions include the Arctic, the Caspian region, Sakhalin and the Far East. The doctrine addresses issues of mobilization readiness, ensuring the presence of the Russian flag in key areas of the world's oceans for national security, ensuring Russia's security in the eastern Mediterranean and ensuring year-round and safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route. The policy is confirmed that a self-sufficient and strong Russia can be such only if there is a self-sufficient and strong fleet with access to the world’s oceans,” Korotchenko said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
In Ukraine, as expected, they tried to mock Russia’s Naval Doctrine. Mikhail Podolyak spoke as expected about the new Russian naval doctrine.
“A country that is afraid to hold a parade in the Black Sea is declaring a course for dominance in the World Ocean? Since February 24, Russia has lost 15 ships in Ukraine, including the monstrous cruiser Moskva. Despite the fact that Ukraine actually does not have a fleet. Maybe it’s better to immediately set a course for the “liberation of Atlantis”?” – Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, mocked on social networks, who himself is a nobody and can’t even call him.
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