Key Points and Summary – Russia has launched “July Storm,” its largest naval exercises in years, involving 15,000 personnel, over 150 vessels, and 120 aircraft across four separate fleets.
-The drills, spanning from NATO’s eastern flank to the Pacific, include practicing anti-submarine warfare and the use of unmanned weapons.
-While Moscow describes the exercises as routine, their immense scale is widely seen as a deliberate show of force aimed at the West.
-The event comes as Russia boosts its ammunition production and follows recent provocative naval movements, signaling Moscow’s military readiness for a wider conflict.
Moscow Flexes Its Muscles In Massive “July Storm” Naval Drills
Russia has launched its “July Storm” naval drills – its biggest in years.
The exercises, which will span July 23 to 27, are both a show of strength and an opportunity for the Russian navy to test its readiness for combat.
The exercises will see Russian naval troops preparing for a range of non-standard operations, including the use of long-range weaponry and other, less commonly used advanced technologies.
Russia’s defense ministry confirmed that the exercises will also allow crews to test unmanned weaponry.
Naval crews are practicing their responses to simulated attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), surface drones, and enemy aircraft. The exercises also include strikes on maritime and land-based targets.
“At sea, the crews of the ships will practice deployment to combat areas, conducting anti-submarine operations, defending areas of deployment and economic activity,” a statement from the ministry explained.
The exercises are being overseen by the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev.
The drills are expected to involve 15,000 personnel over five days, as well as more than 150 naval and auxiliary vessels, approximately 120 aircraft, 10 missile systems, and almost 1,000 other military assets.
The ministry said that the crews will practice deployment in combat zones and submarine warfare. Four Russian fleets are taking part, including the Baltic, Pacific, Northern, and Caspian fleets.
The exercises are significant; not only does Russia have the third-largest navy by size, trailing the United States and China, but it is currently strengthening its weapons and ammunition arsenal amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Outpacing the U.S. and Europe combined in artillery ammunition production, Russia is ensuring its military is both equipped and prepared.
Moscow has described the operations as routine, but the sheer size of the exercises has drawn attention from U.S. and European officials and analysts from all over the world. The sheer scale of the drills are important to note – with naval troops engaging in exercises from the easternmost flank of NATO to the Pacific Ocean.
The exercises serve not just as an opportunity to train Russian troops and ensure readiness, but as a deterrent or show of force.
Reports from earlier this month revealed how the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy tracked a Russian Kilo-class submarine moving through the North Sea and the English Channel – the latter of which is just 150 miles across at its widest.
Photographs showed how the Russian Novorossiysk, which was accompanied by the Yakov Grebelski support tug, surfaced in the Channel.
The move was widely seen as a show of force to the United Kingdom and France.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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