Future of the Russian Navy

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the Russian Navy struggled to adjust Cold War force structures while suffering severely with insufficient maintenance and a lack of funding. However, there were improvements in the Russian economy over the first decade of the twenty-first century. The economy and standard of living grew rapidly during the early period of Putin's regime, fueled largely by a boom in the oil industry. This led to a significant rise in defence expenditure and an increase in the number of ships under construction.

The economic and financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on Russian Navy modernization plans. In September 2020 it was reported that the defence budget was to be cut by 5% as part of a shift to social spending and in response the financial impacts of the pandemic. An even greater impact was felt as a result of sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2021, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev reportedly acknowledged that the Russian defence industry “is still dependent on foreign technologies.” In an interview with the head of United Shipbuilding Corporation Alexei Rakhmanov on 15 August 2022, he stated that the effects of sanctions on the Russian shipbuilding industry are practically unnoticeable, with only 5% of components for military shipbuilding (mainly electronics) being dependent on foreign imports.

Since the 2010s, the primary focus of production for the Russian navy has been on new classes of lighter units (corvettes) as well as on the procurement of several classes of new nuclear and conventionally-powered submarines. In addition, the new Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates have begun to enter service and the large Priboy-class helicopter assault ships have also started construction. These programs are expected to continue through the 2020s and, depending on available funding, projects to acquire larger frigates (the Super-Gorshkov - Project 22350M) and destroyers/cruisers (Lider-class destroyer) may also be initiated. However, until the arrival of such heavier units, older classes of Soviet-era cruisers and destroyers are being modernized.