The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation spoke about the new strategy of his department
Anatoly Serdyukov continues the radical reform of the army, which must learn to spend money only on effective projects. In this regard, the Minister of Defense announced that Russia will reduce the size of the Black Sea Fleet and will not build new military bases abroad.
It is not yet clear how many servicemen serving in Sevastopol will be laid off. Currently, the Black Sea Fleet contingent numbers 24 thousand people, Interfax reports.
Reducing the fleet will allow the remaining ships and their weapons to be updated.
According to Serdyukov, in the near future, negotiations will be held with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, where these issues of updating the weapons and equipment of the Black Sea Fleet will be included in the agenda.
Now the Black Sea Fleet has 50 units, including the Moskva missile cruiser, two non-operational submarines, two large anti-submarine ships, three patrol, small missile, landing, reconnaissance ships and rescue ships. Given that, according to an agreement between Moscow and Kiev, up to 388 ships, including 14 diesel submarines, can be in Ukrainian territorial waters.
Russia is going to transfer to the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea new corvettes of Project 20380, as well as Project 677 submarines of the Lada type and modernized Project 877 submarines of the Varshavyanka type. The headquarters of the Russian Navy previously announced that the Black Sea Fleet will be replenished with 8-10 submarines.
Also, Anatoly Serdyukov said in the Federation Council that Russia does not plan to create new military bases abroad. The minister specified that this is an expensive pleasure.
“Russia now has four military bases outside the country and further increase in their number would probably be too burdensome,” Serdyukov said as saying to BFM.
The Defense Minister also recalled that Russia, in particular, had lost the naval base that the Soviet Union had in the Gulf of Aden.
