Moscow: Russia will guarantee a permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean and boost its strength in the Atlantic and Arctic under a strategy to counter “unacceptable” Nato expansion.
The plans, which also include ambitious shipbuilding targets and expansion of infrastructure for the country’s fleet in the Black Sea, were laid out in a new naval doctrine approved by President Vladimir Putin. Nato was already seen a major threat in an earlier version published in 2010, but the war in Ukraine has further raised tensions to levels not seen since the Cold War.
The upgraded doctrine follows plans announced last month by Putin to boost Moscow’s -nuclear arsenal. Britain’s RAF had to scramble fighter jets after Russian bombers flew over the English Channel earlier this year. Dmitry Rogozin, the deputy prime minister with a portfolio for defence, emphasised the “accent put on the Atlantic and the Arctic” in a meeting with Putin on Sunday.
Rogozin, a strong critic of Nato, said the new doctrine reflected “changes in the international political situation and the objective strengthening of Russia as a great naval power”.
“Our attention towards the Atlantic is justified by the expansion of Nato in the East,” he told Russian news agencies.
The 46-page document, published on the Kremlin website, lays out a comprehensive vision for civilian and military maritime strategy in the coming years, including maintenance of sea-trade routes and management of fisheries. But its military section openly identifies Western forces as the primary potential adversary facing the Russian navy.
“The determining factor in relations with Nato remains the alliance’s unacceptable plans to move military infrastructure towards the Russian Federation’s borders and attempts to assume global functions,” the document says.
