The Russian squadron is expected in the Indian Ocean
The emergence of a military-technical support point for the Russian naval forces in Sudan is the first step towards Russia’s return to the Indian Ocean.
Aleksey Kupriyanov, a senior researcher at IMEMO RAS, writes about this in Izvestia, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
He recalled that in previous times, the Soviet Navy in the Indian Ocean was mainly represented by the 8th operational squadron, which opposed the 7th operational fleet of the US Navy during the Cold War.
“The key question now is what Moscow’s future plans are. Figuratively speaking, will Port Sudan remain a southern bastion ensuring Russia’s presence in the Middle East, or will it become the first step towards Russia’s full return to the Indian Ocean,” notes Kupriyanov.
According to him, Russia is expected in the region not only by countries that were previously in the zone of Soviet influence, such as Mozambique, Madagascar and Seychelles.
“In the context of Chinese, Indian, European, American economic expansion, the presence of another interested player will give them the opportunity to pursue a more flexible policy, maneuver and maneuver, in exchange providing Russian companies with contracts, and the fleet with bases and supply points,” the author believes.
According to him, India is waiting for Russia.
“More than once, the author of these lines has heard from Indian experts and high-ranking military officials that they regret that the Russian flag is no longer visible in the Indian Ocean. New Delhi fears the growing appetites of Beijing, which is gradually increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean, trying to ensure the security of hydrocarbon supplies from the Persian Gulf countries and its goods to Europe; these concerns are pushing India into the arms of the United States.
The Russian squadron in the Indian Ocean, on the one hand, will give New Delhi an alternative to rapprochement with Washington, and on the other hand, it will guarantee Beijing that the safety of its ships in the region will be ensured,” the expert writes.
“It is still difficult to say whether Russia will live up to these expectations and whether it will risk declaring its interests in one of the most strategically important regions of the world. But at least the first step in this direction has already been taken,” sums up Kupriyanov.
As PolitNavigator reported, Russia will create a point logistics support for the Navy in Sudan. This decision has already been approved by the government and now it will have to be endorsed by President Vladimir Putin.
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