Russia’s naval power has been severely degraded by the Ukrainian military’s innovative use of drones, missiles, and coastal defences over the past year of war. The losses have left the once-formidable Russian Navy a shadow of its former self and facing monumental challenges to rebuild its strength.
The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva missile cruiser, was perhaps the most stunning loss – struck and sunk by Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles in April 2022. Over a dozen other Russian vessels have been damaged or destroyed in the conflict by kamikaze drones and long-range munitions like the UK-supplied Harpoon missiles.
Just as significantly, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, the ageing Admiral Kuznetsov, has been undergoing repairs for years with no clear return-to-service timeline. This has effectively neutralized Russia’s ability to project maritime air power.
While Russia maintains a vast overall inventory of warships, submarines, and support vessels, many are outdated or lack the air defence capabilities proven vital in modern naval warfare. Rebuilding a true blue water navy with power projection capabilities could take decades and cost hundreds of billions of dollars that Russia can ill-afford.
Michael Kofman of the Wilson Center stated that Ukraine draining Russia’s military resources on land, and it’s doubtful the Kremlin can prioritize big-budget naval projects like new carriers or modernized surface ships.
Any realistic naval reboot is likely years, if not decades away as Russia remains bogged down in Ukraine. As a result, Western countries may not have to worry about a resurgent Russian naval threat shortly. However, the conflict has revealed the maritime vulnerabilities modern militaries must address.