A Russian submarine leaves base for an exercise (symbolic image). © IMAGO/Russian Defence Ministry Press S
Russia is a submarine world power. However, the Ukraine war could harm Putin's submarines - even though they are not being used at all.
Moscow - The Russian navy has hardly played a significant role in the conflict in over a year of the Ukraine war. Many may have remembered the sinking of the Moskva River. This was the flagship of the Russian overseas fleet in the Black Sea - as recently as 2022, Ukraine was able to sink the ship. But in fact, the Russian submarine fleet is much more equipped than the overseas fleet.
Nick Childs, Senior Fellow for Navy and Maritime Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), described Russia's navy to the US portal Newsweek as the "best under the water". However, the war in Ukraine could pose a problem for Moscow's submarines, because spare parts are lacking and other branches of the armed forces, such as ground troops, require greater support than the navy does.
Ukraine war: Russian navy is being harmed - although it is not being used at all
Russia's submarines "will experience long-term indirect damage from the war," Graeme Herd of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies also analyzes in the article. The reason is that Russia is dependent on trade with Western countries, especially when it comes to spare parts for its submarines. The country is not in a position to independently equip its entire armed forces. But especially when it comes to highly complex nuclear submarines, Russia has no trading partners outside the West who could equip it with the necessary parts. However, it is currently unclear how devastating this dependence actually is.
In addition, although the Russian submarine program is the most expensive item in the Russian defense budget, it has so far had virtually no use in the Ukraine war. Since the Russian army has suffered significant losses in recent months, it is very likely that investments will have to be made in other branches of the armed forces for the time being. Dmitry Gorenburg of the Center for Naval Analyses clarified to Newsweek: "There will be budget cuts in the Navy in the future, without a doubt."
Ukraine war: Russia is a submarine power
In addition to the United States, Russia has the second most powerful underwater fleet in the world, retired American Navy Admiral James Foggo told the portal. Moscow probably has 58 submarines, with 26 submarines in the fleet being nuclear-powered and nine having ballistic missiles. The rest of the submarines in the fleet use diesel as fuel. However, according to Russian information, the fleet is to be expanded even further.
The "crown jewel" of the Russian Navy and "probably the pinnacle of today's Russian military technology" is the Jasen-M model, as military expert Edward Geist told Newsweek. This is a submarine that has a nuclear propulsion system, as well as ballistic missiles. The Jasen-M models are capable of using the most modern Russian hypersonic missiles. Russia's fleet of "ghost ships" in the North Sea and Baltic Sea has also recently made worrying headlines for the West. (lp)