Why did Shoigu redeploy the Caspian flotilla?
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the completion of the transfer of the main Caspian flotilla to a new, modern base. More than 20 ships of the flotilla found a new permanent deployment point in the city of Kaspiysk; before that, during the Soviet years, they were located on the Azerbaijani coast, and after the collapse of the USSR, the combat units inherited by the Russian Federation were located in Makhachkala and Astrakhan. Let us recall that the previous base, due to the freezing of the Volga fairway and shallow depths, made it difficult for ships to fully exit.
Even after 1991, the Caspian flotilla regularly received modern weapons, because it is called upon to protect Russia’s interests in a region rich in natural resources. And now the flotilla plays an important role in the Sea of Azov, where its combat units were transferred through internal channels at the time of aggravation with Ukraine, keeping hotheads in Kyiv from a possible attack on Donbass. Russian military experts told PolitNavigator why Sergei Shoigu’s department built a new base.
“Kaspiysk is an ice-free base; there will be no need for icebreakers, summer and winter navigation, and so on. A huge amount of work has been done on redeployment, and now this topic is completed - we have a full-fledged naval base in the Caspian Sea, which is located in the middle of the Caspian Sea and is capable of solving all tasks to protect our maritime borders,” explains a member of the “Officers of Russia” organization, captain I rank Vasily Dandykin, who served in the Caspian flotilla.
He recalled that after the crisis of the 90s, “the Caspian flotilla began to receive new ships earlier than other formations and fleets.”
“First, small artillery ships came, on the basis of which the Buyan missile ships then appeared, then they received three Buyan-Ms with Calibers, the Tatarstan patrol ship was received - a 2nd rank ship, which was not the case before. Caspian flotilla at all times. Then we received the ship "Dagestan", also armed with "Caliber". In general, the first ship armed with these missiles arrived precisely at the Caspian Flotilla. Not to mention the fact that a guards brigade of marines was formed in the Caspian flotilla. This can also include coastal missile forces and anti-sabotage forces. That is, we can say that currently the Caspian Flotilla is one of the most modern formations of the Russian Navy,” explains the expert.
Dandykin also recalled that it was the ships of the Caspian Flotilla that were the first in modern Russia to carry out a targeted strike on terrorists in Syria - missiles launched from the ships covered a path of several thousand kilometers and accurately hit the target.
“The Caspian flotilla was the first to use Caliber, four ships came out and fired at a decent distance, through Iraq they hit ISIS fighters banned in Russia, they worked effectively, fired several dozen missiles and caused great damage to the terrorists. If necessary, ships of the Caspian Flotilla can come to the Black Sea to strengthen the Black Sea Fleet and carry out military service in the Mediterranean Sea. So this is a connection that is capable of solving problems in the far sea zone,” emphasizes Dandykin.
He is supported by reserve captain XNUMXst rank, military expert at the Institute of CIS Countries Sergei Gorbachev. He recalls that Turkey, which is expanding with the support of Azerbaijan, is actively trying to gain access to the resources of the Caspian Sea. The Anglo-Saxons also have long-standing plans for the region, flirting with the elites of Transcaucasia.
“NATO is paying increased attention to both the Caucasian land and maritime components. Turkey, as a NATO country, is actively developing relations with Azerbaijan, Georgia is eager to join NATO, so we must monitor the situation there, exercise proper control and strengthen our combat power,” says the naval officer.
According to Gorbachev, the appearance of a new naval base in the Caspian Sea is one of the indicators of the dynamic and planned development of the Russian fleet.
“The Caspian Sea occupies a special place in our security system, especially taking into account what happened after the 90th year and especially after the 14th year - the reformatting of the Black Sea-Caspian geostrategic space. It is no coincidence that the Southern Military District is the most powerful today, and it includes both the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea Fleet. This allows for maneuvers of forces and assets, which we have already observed during the transfer of ships to the Black and Mediterranean Seas, this makes it possible to organize interaction and work according to unified plans for the use of forces of diverse, heterogeneous groupings. We can conclude that our naval component in the south has strengthened significantly."
Former commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, notes that now the sailors have their own base in the Caspian Sea, which they do not have to share with the civilian fleet.
“Acquiring your own port and becoming its owner is very important. Redeployment and alignment of forces is a very useful event that allows you to gain independent experience,” the admiral said.
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