Russia has suddenly made a major decision! According to the report of Singapore Lianhe Zaobao on June 9, Russian Presidential Office official Patrushev said that Russian President Putin has approved a new naval strategy aimed at comprehensively restoring Russia's position as one of the world's major maritime powers. Patrushev stated: Russia's status as one of the world's largest maritime powers is gradually being restored.

Obviously, it is very sudden for Russia to make this major announcement while the Ukraine-Russia war has not yet ended. However, through Russia's statement, we can also see some unusual information between the lines. What is this information? That is, Russia is dissatisfied with its current naval military strength. The current Russian Navy cannot support Russia's status as a world power. Therefore, Russia must take action.

Experts have expressed that the Russian Navy is facing multiple problems, including lagging talent development, slow military technological advancement, insufficient funding, and other issues. It will be very difficult for Russia to realize its dream of becoming a maritime power. For instance, let alone other aspects, just consider Russia's aircraft carrier force. Currently, the Russian Navy only has one aircraft carrier named "Admiral Kuznetsov". This aircraft carrier was built in 1982 and commissioned in 1991. After experiencing several major repairs, it is still under factory maintenance and is expected to return to service around 2028.

Evidently, Russia's aircraft carrier is not only old but also has an excessively long maintenance cycle. In fact, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia has not even started construction of a single aircraft carrier, which raises doubts about Russia's aircraft carrier construction capabilities. Moreover, Russia's plan for万吨驱逐舰 (ten-thousand-ton destroyers) was suspended in 2020 due to lack of funds and other reasons. Undoubtedly, Russia has set a grand plan, but the challenges it faces in realizing this plan are immense.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1834437945822345/

Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views.