Key Points and Summary: The Russian Navy, once a Cold War powerhouse, struggles to maintain global power projection. With an aging surface fleet, including the unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, and a reliance on smaller frigates and corvettes, Russia lacks the capacity for sustained blue-water operations.
-While advanced submarines and long-range weapons like Kalibr and Tsirkon missiles bolster its capabilities, setbacks in Ukraine reveal its vulnerabilities.
-The sinking of the Moskva and effective Ukrainian maritime tactics highlight Russia’s inability to dominate even regional waters, let alone rival the U.S. Navy’s unmatched carrier fleet.
-Russia’s naval limitations underscore its broader struggles in modern warfare.
Russia’s Struggling Navy: Why Power Projection Remains Elusive
One of the few countries that can project a credible, worldwide power projection presence is the United States. Though Russia would no doubt like to be a part of that exclusive club, the technological know-how and the money to support a global naval fleet are not there.
The Russian Navy
The Russian Navy today is a shadow of the formidable maritime force that the Soviet Union had at its disposal during the Cold War. At its apex, the Soviet Navy operated an immense fleet with global reach, tailor-made to counter the navies of the United States and its NATO allies.
However, the Soviet Navy‘s international role was severely abbreviated by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of Cold War hostilities.
One stark example of the Soviet Navy’s decline is Russia’s present-day aircraft carrier program — the modern Russian Navy relies on a single carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov.
Modern Sea Power
This carrier, which was launched in 1985, has become emblematic of the Russian Navy’s struggles. Frequent mechanical problems, an outdated design, and accidents during modernization efforts have rendered Admiral Kuznetsov more a symbolic carrier than an operational one. Russian shipyard’s somewhat limited capacity to build new aircraft carriers — let alone keep the sole Russian carrier afloat — underscores the country’s diminished power projection.
In contrast, the United States Navy has eleven aircraft carriers, each with dozens of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters onboard. Unparalleled in the history of modern naval warfare, the United States Navy remains the pinnacle of American power projection around the globe.
While Russia maintains a capable submarine fleet, including new Borei and Yasen-class vessels, its surface fleet has been reduced to smaller ships, such as frigates and corvettes, which lack the endurance and firepower to operate as an effective blue-water fleet.
Long-range, Hypersonic, and Stand-off Munitions
Despite these challenges, Russia does retain some power projection capabilities, mainly via Moscow’s long-range precision weapons. The Russian Navy’s Kalibr cruise missiles and hypersonic Tsirkon missiles provide a credible strike capability, and its submarine fleet remains an indispensable element — arguably the most crucial element — of Russia’s nuclear triad.
The War in Ukraine: A Problem for the Russian Navy
Russia’s naval limitations are particularly apparent in context to its challenges in projecting power over Ukraine. Despite sharing a long land border and possessing a not insignificant military advantage, Russia has been unable to dominate the maritime theaters of the war.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, based in Crimea, has been central to operations in Ukraine but has faced several difficulties. First and foremost among these are Ukrainian forces, which have effectively used asymmetrical tactics, including unmanned maritime drones, to target Russian ships. The sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, in 2022 was a significant blow to Russian naval prestige and a strong indication of its vulnerabilities to unmanned naval systems.

From Russian Navy. Helicopter of Russian cruiser Marshal Ustinov (Russian: Маршал Устинов) Marshal Ustinov is a Slava-class cruiser laid down in 1978, launched in April 1982 and commissioned in 1986. The Russian name for the ship type is Gvardeysky Raketnyy Kreyser (GRKR), meaning “Guards Missile Cruiser”. She is named after Dmitriy Ustinov, a former Soviet Minister of Defence. Designed as a battle cruiser, the Slava Class is smaller and less expensive than other ships, which demonstrate similar capabilities. The design integrates the P-500 Bazalt missile, which is a conventional alternative to the missiles installed in the Kirov Class battle cruiser. A crane is installed on the ship (visible between the two smoke stacks) for handling boats, while anti-ship missiles fitted on either side of the superstructure provide it with a typical appearance. The vessels have poor damage control capabilities due to flammable materials used in the structure.
Additionally, Ukraine’s success in the Black Sea has hindered Russian naval operations and severely impacted its ability to dominate important naval areas. Efforts to blockade Ukrainian ports and curtail grain exports have faced strong pushback from countries around the world, highlighting the lack of international support that Russia enjoys.
This situation underscores just how vulnerable the Russian Navy is: a country that cannot control the maritime situation in its near abroad will likely face significant setbacks to dominate in international waters, given the significant logistical and operational challenges long-distance and long-term deployments entail.

The Russian Navy is experiencing a resurgence, with new ships and submarines entering service despite ongoing challenges. But, many experts don’t agree with such claims.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
