Russian Navy Set for Major Drills Involving 300 Vessels, 20,000 Sailors

Russia has begun military exercises involving the majority of its naval fleet, in the latest demonstration of resolve by its sea forces amid mounting losses in Ukraine.

"The Russian Navy formations and units have begun conducting scheduled exercises in the operational zones of the Northern, Pacific and Baltic fleets, as well as in the Caspian Flotilla's area of ​​responsibility," the Ministry of Defense wrote in a Telegram post on Tuesday morning.

According to the Ministry's statement, the drills will involve around 300 ships and submarines, as well as over 20,000 military and civilian personal.

Over the course of the multi-day exercises, the units will take part in "over 300 combat exercises," involving the use of anti-aircraft missiles, anti-submarine weapons and artillery against a "simulated enemy."

"The main goal of the exercises is to check the actions of the military command bodies of the Navy at all levels," the Ministry added, "as well as the readiness of the crews of ships, naval aviation units and coastal troops of the Russian Navy to perform tasks as intended."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for further comment on the purpose of these exercises.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has carried out several similar drills to both demonstrate and ensure the effectiveness of its seaborne military.

In February 2023, Russia engaged in joint military exercises with the navies of China and South Africa along the latter's eastern coast, which South African newspaper Daily Maverick said was "widely being seen as a propaganda exercise for Russia."

In mid-July, Chinese and Russian forces began naval exercises in the South China Sea, intended to "demonstrate the resolve and capabilities of the two sides in jointly addressing maritime security threats and preserving global and regional peace and stability," according to the Chinese Defense Ministry.

While these latest exercises involve the majority of Russia's naval forces, a notable omission is the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The fleet was also absent from Russia's annual Navy Day parade, held on Sunday in St. Petersburg and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Black Sea Fleet has continued to suffer heavy losses in the ongoing war in Ukraine, and has been forced to rebase its warships from the Sevastopol Naval Base in Crimea to Novorossiisk, Russia, according to Ukraine's Naval Forces Commander Oleksiy Neizhpapa.

According to Le Monde, some of these ships have even had to retreat to Abkhazia, a Russia-aligned separatist entity in Georgia.

Despite having a small navy of its own, Kyiv has employed missile strikes and naval drones to target the Black Sea Fleet, using these to great effect against Russia's large landing ships.

The Black Sea fleet had 74 warships in February 2022, according to the Atlantic Council, but around a third of these had been damaged or sunk in the two years following the invasion.

In March, then-U.K. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: "Putin's continued illegal occupation of Ukraine is exacting a massive cost on Russia's Black Sea Fleet which is now functionally inactive."

Last week, Royal Navy officer and Chief of the U.K. Defense Staff Antony Radakin said: "In the past year we've seen Ukraine—a country which barely has a navy—bring the Russian Black Sea Fleet to heel through a combination of drones and long-range missiles."

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