Russia Has Allowed Its Navy to 'Atrophy'—Retired U.S. Admiral

Russia's military has allowed its above-water naval fleet to "atrophy," according to a former United States Navy admiral.

Russia's surface fleet has been neglected, although Russia's underwater capabilities far outshine its above-water fleet, retired U.S. Naval Admiral and dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy, James G. Foggo, told Newsweek.

Russia's growing naval capabilities have caused concern among NATO allies as Russian President Vladimir Putin doubles down on expanding its advanced submarine fleet. However, the surface fleets have experienced a number of high-profile embarrassments, including the sinking of the Black Sea flagship , the Moskva , in April 2022.

As of 2023, Russia has a total of 598 military ships, including 15 destroyers and 11 frigates, according to Statista figures published on March 30. Moscow's forces have just one aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov .

The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier has been plagued by issues. It caught fire in December after undergoing extensive repairs. One person was killed and more than a dozen were injured when the vessel caught fire in December 2019, as well. The flagship also sustained damage in October 2018 after a dry dock collapsed at the Murmansk facility where the ship was being refitted.

In early January, Ukraine's military intelligence agency said the aircraft carrier "was not capable of moving under its own power ." The ship's hull was in a "critical condition," Ukraine said, saying "significant corrosion" had compromised the metal structures on the vessel's lower deck.

"The holds are completely filled with muddy water, which makes a detailed examination of the ship from the inside impossible," Ukraine added. Pointing to the string of unfortunate setbacks around the aircraft carrier, Foggo said that this does not constitute "much of a surface fleet" for Russia's naval forces.

Yet Russia's Navy remains of importance to Russia's political leadership. In 2009, then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that "without a proper navy, Russia does not have a future as a state."

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.

However, "Russia's largest naval surface ships are Soviet legacy vessels that are becoming less reliable over time," the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies said back in 2019.

On April 14, Russia announced a host of military drills involving its Pacific Fleet, which the Kremlin said involved more than 25,000 personnel and 167 warships, as well as 12 submarines. They were unplanned exercises, the Kremlin said.

Although Russia's military priority remains the ongoing war in Ukraine, "no one canceled or canceled the tasks of fleet development, including in the Pacific theater," Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to a readout of a meeting published by the Kremlin on Monday.

"The forces of the fleet in its individual components can certainly be used in conflicts in any direction," the Russian leader was quoted as saying in the readout. On Thursday, Russian media reported that the head of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Sergei Avakyants, had left command of the fleet , which he had led for more than a decade.