Russia’s Surface Navy Is In Bad Shape — Decimated

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington DC) Russia’s Navy was poorly positioned to assert itself as a major global force years before its war with Ukraine.

Developments since the Kremlin began its invasion, would suggest this is even more true now.

For Putin, it seems the Russian Navy does indeed look like a ‘sinking ship’ in every sense of the word.

Ukraine Holds Strong Against Naval Attack

Ukraine has demonstrated an ability to target and destroy Russian surface ships from the coastline, and beyond an initial amphibious incursion into Odesa, the Russian Navy has not presented Ukraine with any kind of serious naval threat.

While some might wonder just how much Russia can rebuild its Navy following the war with Ukraine, the Russian Navy was not much of a threat to begin with. This challenge is not only complicated by the many problems associated with Russia’s damaged and now docked single aircraft carrier, but also evidenced in its inability to project power into Ukraine from the ocean in any impactful way.

Despite this reality, there are nevertheless still several significant threats presented by the Russian Navy, including its growing fleet of technologically advanced submarines and the emerging ability of its surface warships to fire hypersonic weapons. 

For example, the Russian Navy is up gunning, modernizing, and revamping some of its massive, yet somewhat antiquated Cold War-era battle cruisers by adding advanced interceptor missiles, close-in ship defenses, upgraded ship-integrated longer-range air defenses, and even hypersonic weapons. Should Russia truly be arming its upgraded 1980s battle cruiser, the Admiral Nakhimov, with up to 60 hypersonic missiles, then many NATO countries and the U.S. could face a massive and potentially unparalleled threat.