Putin Approves Military Plans Through to 2050
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin has approved a development strategy for Russia's Navy for the next 25 years, one of his key aides has said.
Nikolai Patrushev, who heads Russia's Maritime Board, told media that the Russian president had last month signed off plans for the Navy until 2050.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.
File photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the Navy development in Saint Petersburg on April 11, 2025.
File photo: Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the Navy development in Saint Petersburg on April 11, 2025.Why It Matters
Russia has the world's third-most-powerful navy after China and the U.S. but it has faced setbacks in the Ukraine war due to Kyiv's drones and missile attacks, which pushed much of Moscow's Black Sea Fleet back from its main base in Crimea.
Amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia's military resources have been strained as Putin ramps up defense spending to record levels.
Patrushev's announcement highlights Moscow's long-term planning to keep its status as a naval power in the face of Western sanctions and military setbacks, raising questions about future security and geopolitical stability in the region.
What To Know
Patrushev, a former head of the FSB who has close ties to Putin, told the publication Arguments and Facts that the Russian president had approved on May 30 the "Strategy for the Development of the Russian Navy up to 2050."
One goal of the long-term plan was to address modern threats, including unmanned aerial vehicles and high-speed of uncrewed boats targeting coastal areas, Patrushev said in the interview picked up by other Russian state media outlets.
Patrushev heads the Maritime Board created in 2024 to take charge of the country's naval policy. He said there needed to be a long-term vision of evolving challenges and threats facing the Russian Navy—without giving specific details about the strategy.
Russia has ramped up defense spending to Cold War levels as a percentage of gross domestic product, allocating $145 billion for national defense in its 2025 budget, 32 percent of total federal spending, much higher than previous years.
Russia has 79 submarines, including 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, and 222 warships, according to open-source data cited by Reuters. Russia's main fleet is the Northern Fleet headquartered in Severomorsk on the Barents Sea.
What People Are Saying
Nikolai Patrushev, Kremlin aide and Maritime Board chairman, told Arguments and Facts: "The final draft of the strategy was submitted for consideration to the head of state, and he signed off on it on May 30 … Russia's position as one of the world's greatest maritime powers is gradually recovering."
What Happens Next
Russia's government is expected to implement the approved naval and defense strategy over the coming decades, with ongoing reviews by the Maritime Board and relevant ministries.
The evolving conflict in Ukraine and shifting global alliances will likely influence the pace and scope of these long-term military plans.
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