World Ocean Exercises 2022
Russia’s Navy in January-February will hold a series of exercises in all zones of responsibility, the Russian Defense Ministry said on 20 January 2022. If Moscow goes ahead with an invasion of Ukraine, Russian naval ships and marines could launch amphibious assaults to cut the country off from the Black Sea. Blocking maritime trade would be a "total disaster" for Ukraine's economy, leaving it essentially landlocked.
Russia sent almost all the ships it has to the naval exercises. "In accordance with a plan for training the Russian armed forces in 2022 a series of naval exercises will be held in January-February in all zones of the fleets’ responsibility under the general guidance of the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov," the news release reads. The main purpose of the exercise is to let the Navy and Aerospace Force to practice operations to protect Russia’s national interests in the World Ocean and also to resist military threats to Russia on the sea.
"The exercises will encompass seas washing Russia and also World Ocean areas of key importance. There will be some exercises in the Mediterranean and Northern seas and the Sea of Okhotsk, in the Northeastern Atlantic and in the Pacific," the Defense Ministry said. Participating in the exercises will be more than 140 combat and supply ships, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of miliary equipment, and 10,000 military servicemen [this number cannot include ship's crews, as it would imply an average crew size of about 70 personnel].
This massive [seemingly un-named] brought to mind the Okean (ocean) exercises of the 1970s. In April and May 1970—the rapidly growing Soviet Navy conducted history’s largest peacetime fleet exercise to date. The event included 84 surface warships, 80-some submarines (including 15 nuclear powered), and 45 naval auxiliary and intelligence-collection ships, plus several hundred aircraft. In late April 1975 more than 220 of the Soviet Navy's most powerful surface ships and perhaps half that many submarines reached home ports at the weekend after the largest and, most extensive air and sea exercise the Soviet Union had ever staged.
Soviet naval literature, especially the writings of the Commander in Chief, Admiral Sergey G. Gorshkov, had stressed the role the navy can play in carrying out Soviet overseas policy. Gorshkov, in an article written in 1976 to honor the opening of the CPSU Party Congress, stated that the "most complex" of Soviet naval exercises "rightly became the measure of the Navy before the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the Soviet Government, and all the people."
The Soviet Union had moved from a relatively small Norwegian Sea exercise in 1961 to worldwide 200-ship maneuvers in 1970 and 1975. As Vice Admiral Ashot Sarkisov noted: “For the first time in history, the combat potential of our navy attained a level that enabled it to start countering the joint naval forces of the North Atlantic bloc in the world’s oceans in a real sense.”
The Russian Navy was no stranger to large exercises. A snap exercise began on 16 March 2015 commenced with the mobilization of Northern Fleet but quickly encompassed and involved four military districts and was conducted throughout the entire Russian Federation. The exercise involved approximately 38,000 personnel [including ship crews], 3,360 pieces of military equipment, 41 warships, 15 submarines, and 110 aircraft and helicopters.
On 26 January 2022 a detachment of warships and support vessels of the Northern Fleet entered the Barents Sea as part of an exercise with the Arctic Expeditionary Group of Forces and Troops. The detachment included the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the frigate Admiral of the Fleet Kasatonov, the large anti-submarine ship Vice Admiral Kulakov, as well as support vessels. During the exercise, a detachment of warships will work out the issues of interaction between the diverse forces of the fleet in the joint solution of tasks to ensure the security of sea lanes and areas of maritime economic activity of the Russian Federation in the northern seas in the event of a crisis.
The main practical actions of the forces and troops of the Northern Fleet, which will take place in the Barents Sea, will involve the frigate "Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov", the large anti-submarine ship "Severomorsk", the large landing ship "Ivan Gren", submarines, support vessels, and also aircraft and helicopters of the Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Northern Fleet. In addition to offshore ranges, a number of exercises will take place at coastal ranges in the Murmansk region.
A total of 20 warships, boats and support vessels of the Baltic Fleet left their permanent bases and entered the designated areas of the Baltic Sea to perform tasks as part of planned combat training activities. At sea, the ships of the Baltic Fleet, united in several tactical groups, will perform tasks according to their intended purpose - anti-submarine, air defense and mine support for detachments with practical combat exercises. As part of the exercise, minesweepers, small anti-submarine ships, small missile ships and missile boats will operate as part of tactical groups.
Russia will not conduct naval exercises in international waters off the southwest coast of Ireland next week as planned, Moscow's ambassador to Ireland said on 29 January 2022. Ambassador Yury Filatov said in a statement that Russia decided to relocate the naval exercises as a "gesture of goodwill" to Dublin and Irish fishing groups.
Ireland was notified that the exercises would take place about 240 kilometers off its southwest coast within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but not its territorial waters. The announcement of the drills, originally planned for February 3-8, had caused considerable controversy in Ireland. Some Irish fishermen had expressed concern that the use of military sonar could damage marine life and some said they planned to protest near the area where they were due to take place.
Filatov had told Irish authorities that there were no grounds for concern over the maneuvers and said Ireland had been “duly notified” about the exercises. But the statement on January 29 said in response to the requests from the Irish government and the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu decided to relocate the exercises “as a gesture of goodwill” outside the EEZ “with the aim not to hinder fishing activities by the Irish vessels in the traditional fishing areas." It is not known where the naval exercises will take place.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he had written to Shoigu to ask that Russia reconsider conducting the exercises off the Irish coast. “This evening I received a letter confirming the Russian exercises will be relocated outside of Ireland’s EEZ. I welcome this response,” Coveney said. The plans were especially unwelcome at a time when the United States and other Western countries fear Russia could be preparing to invade Ukraine after amassing more than 100,000 troops near its borders.
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