Russian Navy: Difference between revisions

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Since 2017, by the decree of the President of Russia dated 27 July 2017,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/55192# |title=Archived copy |access-date=28 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728191442/http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/55192# |archive-date=28 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> the tradition of holding the Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg on the Navy Day has been restored. The parade is composed of ships and sailors representing the several fleets and the Caspian Flotilla with small ships and submarines in the Neva River and the larger ones arrayed off Kronshtadt in the Gulf of St. Petersburg. It is celebrated annually on the last Sunday of July during the [[Navy Day (Russia)|Navy Day]] holiday.
 
==Recent deployments==
==Deployments and increase in activity==
[[File:Tactical exercises of the Russian Navy.jpg|thumb|The nuclear-powered missile cruiser ''Peter the Great'' during a naval exercise]]
 
In the last years of the 1990s naval activity was very low. Even at the height of the [[Kosovo War]], a planned task group deployment to the Mediterranean was reduced to the dispatch of the intelligence ship ''Liman''. 2003 saw a major increase in activity, including several major exercises. A May joint exercise with the [[Indian Navy]] saw two Pacific Fleet destroyers and four vessels from the [[Black Sea Fleet]], led by the ''Slava''-class cruiser ''[[Russian cruiser Moskva|Moskva]]'', deployed for three months into the Indian Ocean. The largest out-of-area deployment for a decade, the INDRA 2003 exercise, was highlighted by a series of missile launches by two [[Tu-160]]s and four [[Tu-95]]s, which made a {{convert|5400|mi|km|adj=on}} round trip flight from [[Engels-2]] air base near [[Saratov]] to the exercise area.<ref>Foreword to ''Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–05'', p.&nbsp;29.</ref>
 
In August 2003 the Navy also participated in the Far Eastern exercise Vostok 2003, which saw the ''Slava''-class cruiser ''[[Russian cruiser Varyag (1983)|Varyag]]'' and the [[Sovremenny-class destroyer|''Sovremennyy''-class destroyer]] ''Bystryy'' active, as well as an amphibious landing carried out by three Pacific Fleet [[Ropucha class landing ship|Ropucha class]] landing ships. Warships and helicopters from the Japanese and South Korean navies also took part. The Northern Fleet followed in January 2004 when thirteen ships and seven submarines took part in exercises in the Barents Sea. The involvement of ''Admiral Kuznetsov'' and nuclear-powered cruiser ''[[Russian battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy|Pyotr Velikiy]]'' was overshadowed however by two ballistic missile launch failures, made more embarrassing because President [[Vladimir Putin]] was afloat aboard the Typhoon-class SSBN ''Arkhangelsk'' to witness the tests. Neither of the ''Delta IV''-class ''[[Russian submarine Novomoskovsk (K-407)|Novomoskovsk]]'' nor ''[[Russian submarine Karelia (K-18)|Kareliya]]'' were able to successfully launch what were apparently [[R-29RM Shtil|RSM-54]] [[SLBM]]s.<ref>''Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–05'', p.&nbsp;29.</ref> Former navy commander-in-chief [[Vladimir Kuroyedov]]'s early dismissal may have resulted from these gaffes. He was replaced by Admiral [[Vladimir Masorin]] in September 2005.
 
Embarrassment for the navy had continued, with a mine accident during rehearsals for the Baltic Fleet's celebration of Navy Day in St. Petersburg in July 2005 and the [[Priz-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle|''Priz-''class]] mini-submarine [[Russian deep submergence rescue vehicle AS-28|AS-28]] having to be rescued by a joint British/U.S. effort using a [[Royal Navy]] unmanned submersible in the Far East in early August 2005. However exercises and operations continued; [[Peace Mission 2005]] in August 2005 involved a new level of cooperation between Russia and the Chinese [[People's Liberation Army Navy]]. Two months later the Slava-class cruiser ''Varyag'' led Russian participation in INDRA 2005, held off [[Visakhapatnam]] between 14 and 20 October 2005. It included surface firings, air defence, and [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) exercises.<ref>''Jane's Fighting Ships, 2006–07'', p.33</ref>
 
Admiral [[Vladimir Vysotskiy (admiral)|Vladimir Vysotskiy]] became Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy on 11 September 2007, having moved up from the Northern Fleet, which he had commanded since September 2005.<ref>Russian Ministry of Defence, [http://www.mil.ru/eng/1862/12068/12088/12222/12373/index.shtml Navy Commander-in-Chief]. Retrieved December 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101218055204/http://www.mil.ru/eng/1862/12068/12088/12222/12373/index.shtml |date=18 December 2010 }}</ref>
 
On 16 October 2008, the speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament did not preclude Russia asking for a resumption of a naval presence in [[Yemen]]. Authorities in the [[Middle East]] country had been calling on Moscow to help fight piracy and possible terrorist threats. The U.S.S.R. had a major naval support base on Socotra Island of the former socialist state of [[South Yemen]], which merged with [[Yemen Arab Republic|North Yemen]] in 1990 to form the present-day Yemen. Speaking to journalists in [[Sanaa|Sanaʽa]], the capital of Yemen, [[Federation Council (Russia)|Federation Council]] Speaker [[Sergey Mironov]] said the new direction of Russia's foreign and defense policies and an increase in its naval missions would be taken into consideration when making a decision on the request. "It's possible that the aspects of using Yemen ports not only for visits by Russian warships, but also for more strategic goals will be considered," he said. Mironov also said a visit to Russia by the [[president of Yemen]], [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]], could take place in the near future and that the issue of military technical cooperation could be raised during his visit.<ref>[http://en.rian.ru/world/20081016/117777066.html Russia could resume naval presence in Yemen | World|RIA Novosti] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017154832/http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20081016/117777066.html# |date=17 October 2008 }}. En.rian.ru (16 October 2008). Retrieved on 9 September 2010.</ref>
Security Council chief Nikolay Patrushev said on 6 August 2012 that Russia will build a string of naval bases along its northern coast in the Arctic zone to serve as resupply bases for Russian warships and border guard vessels.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3738887.ece |title=Russia to build naval strength in Arctic zone |date=8 August 2012 |work=The Hindu |first=Vladimir |last=Radyuhin |access-date=8 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120811024429/http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3738887.ece# |archive-date=11 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
===Western Atlantic and U.S. eastern seaboard===
* In August 2009, the news media reported that two {{sclass|Akula|submarine}} operated off the [[East Coast of the United States]], with one of the submarines being identified as a Project 971 Shchuka-B type. U.S. military sources noted that this was first known Russian submarine deployment to the western Atlantic since the end of the [[Cold War]], raising concerns within U.S. military and intelligence communities.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mazzetti |last=Mark |author2=Thom Shanker |title=Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/05patrol.html?_r=0 |quote=A pair of nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines has been patrolling off the eastern seaboard of the United States in recent days, a rare mission that has raised concerns inside the Pentagon and intelligence agencies about a more assertive stance by the Russian military. |work=[[New York Times]] |date=2 August 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310131441/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/world/05patrol.html?_r=0# |archive-date=10 March 2014 |url-status=live }}; {{cite news |first=Mazzetti |last=Mark |author2=Thom Shanker |title=Pentagon: Russian subs no cause for alarm |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/08/06/Pentagon-Russian-subs-no-cause-for-alarm/UPI-23291249537740/?rel=35751345390615 |quote=The presence of two Russian submarines seen cruising off America's East Coast should not be cause for alarm, the U.S. Defense Department said. |agency=[[UPI]] |date=6 August 2009 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823125404/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/08/06/Pentagon-Russian-subs-no-cause-for-alarm/UPI-23291249537740/?rel=35751345390615# |archive-date=23 August 2012 |url-status=live }}; and {{cite news |title=Two Russian Nuclear Submarines Make USA Shake With Fear |url=http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/05-08-2009/108624-submarines-0/ |quote=Two Russian nuclear submarines have been patrolling the USA's East Coast during the recent several days, ''The New York Times'' wrote. One of the submarines was detected Tuesday about 200 miles off the US coast, anonymous sources at the Pentagon said. |work=[[Pravda]] |date=8 August 2009 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817035833/http://english.pravda.ru/world/americas/05-08-2009/108624-submarines-0/# |archive-date=17 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[United States Northern Command|U.S. Northern Command]] confirmed that this 2009 ''Akula''-class submarine deployment did occur.<ref name=Ewing>{{cite web |author=Phillip Ewing |title=Pentagon Denies Russian Sub Patrolled Gulf of Mexico |url=http://news.usni.org/news-analysis/news/pentagon-denies-russian-sub-patrolled-gulf-mexico |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] |date=20 August 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826012615/http://news.usni.org/news-analysis/news/pentagon-denies-russian-sub-patrolled-gulf-mexico# |archive-date=26 August 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In August 2012, the news media published an unconfirmed report that another ''Akula''-class submarine operated in the [[Gulf of Mexico]] purportedly undetected for over a month, sparking controversy within U.S. military and political circles, with U.S. Senator [[John Cornyn]] of the [[United States Senate Committee on Armed Services|Senate Armed Services Committee]] demanding details of this deployment from Admiral [[Jonathan Greenert|Jonathan W. Greenert]], the [[Chief of Naval Operations]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Gertz |author-link=Bill Gertz |title=Silent Running |url=http://freebeacon.com/silent-running/ |quote=A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region, the ''Washington Free Beacon'' has learned. |work=[[Washington Free Beacon]] |date=14 August 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003162300/http://freebeacon.com/silent-running/# |archive-date=3 October 2012 |url-status=live }}; {{cite news |first=Bill |last=Gertz |author-link=Bill Gertz |title=Torpedo Run |url=http://freebeacon.com/torpedo-run/ |quote=A [[John Cornyn|member]] of the [[Senate Armed Services Committee]] has asked the [[Jonathan W. Greenert|Navy's top admiral]] to explain reports that a Russian submarine operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico recently. |work=[[Washington Free Beacon]] |date=21 August 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924040230/http://freebeacon.com/torpedo-run/# |archive-date=24 September 2012 |url-status=live }}; {{cite news |title=Reports of Russian sub in gulf downplayed |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/19/Reports-of-Russian-sub-in-gulf-downplayed/UPI-35751345390615/ |quote=Russia declined to confirm or deny a media report that one of its submarines spent a month in the Gulf of Mexico without the knowledge of the United States. |work=[[UPI]] |date=19 August 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922023039/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/19/Reports-of-Russian-sub-in-gulf-downplayed/UPI-35751345390615# |archive-date=22 September 2012 |url-status=live }}; and {{cite news |title=Russian submarine sailed incognito along the coast of the U.S. |url=http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/21-08-2012/121931-russian_sub-0/ |quote=A Russian nuclear submarine of project 971 ("Jaws", in NATO classification), armed with long-range cruise missiles, sailed for a long time without being detected in the waters along the U.S. coastline, the Gulf of Mexico, informs the ''Washington Free Beacon'', citing an unnamed U.S. official. |work=[[Pravda]] |date=21 August 2012 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012053419/http://english.pravda.ru/russia/politics/21-08-2012/121931-russian_sub-0/# |archive-date=12 October 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> ADM Greenert stated that no Russian submarine had operated in the Gulf of Mexico.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.usni.org/2012/08/20/pentagon-denies-russian-sub-patrolled-gulf-mexico |title=Pentagon Denies Russian Sub Patrolled in Gulf of Mexico |date=20 August 2012 |access-date=12 December 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>