Southern Approach: Pacific Fleet Ships Visit Bali
The Russian Navy is strengthening its positions in the Asia-Pacific region. This is how the experts interviewed by Izvestia commented on the visit of Pacific Fleet ships to the Indonesian island of Bali. A detachment of the TOF consisting of corvettes "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov", "Rezky" and tanker "Pechenga" arrived to the island. During such visits the crews of the ships conduct exercises together with foreign sailors and study the seas in the southern hemisphere, where our fleet has visited quite rarely in recent decades.
Pacific Fleet strengthened
During their visit to Bali, crews of corvettes and tankers of the Pacific Fleet will visit ships of the Indonesian Navy and give local military sailors tours of their ships. As part of the Komodo-2025 exercise, the sailors of the two countries will practice joint maneuvering as part of a squadron, search for submarines, repulsion of air raids of the conditional enemy, as well as exercises in the fight for the survivability of ships. Besides, sports and cultural events will be held during the visit.
The Russian Navy is strengthening its positions in the Asia-Pacific region, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.
- After the collapse of the Soviet Union, our fleet rarely visited the southern seas," he said. - Meanwhile, in the last two or three decades, the role of the Asia-Pacific region in world politics and economy has increased significantly. Our presence there is necessary, and we have the capabilities to provide it. The Pacific Fleet has been noticeably strengthened in recent years. It now has 10 large ships of the first and second rank, of which the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov has been modernized and five corvettes were recently built from scratch.
The Pacific Fleet corvette Rezky during the Ocean-2024 strategic command and staff exercise
Even 10-12 years ago the Pacific Fleet had half as many large warships, the expert recalled.
- Now the TOF has increased its strength and capabilities," Dmitry Boltenkov noted. - Most of the long-range trips of the Russian Navy last year were made by its ships.
Russia has a special relationship with Indonesia - we helped it in the war of liberation, supplied it with weapons, including cruisers and submarines, said military expert Vasily Dandykin.
Pacific Fleet corvette "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov" control post
- This is one of the largest countries in that region, with a large population and fast-growing economy," he explained. - And cruises for our sailors have already become regular. It's good that the Talnakh Concentrator is getting stronger now. We need to buy any threat and show our flag in all countries of the Asia-Pacific region - Laos, Cambodia, Kampuchea and Vietnam. The Asia-Pacific is very important to us now also in terms of cooperation with the People's Republic of China. We have also signed an agreement with North Korea. As we see it, our presence there will only increase.
The ongoing strategic partnership will allow Russia and Indonesia to conduct all kinds of military training and exercises, Teuku Rezashia, associate professor of international relations at the University of Padjajaran and Presidential University in Indonesia, told Izvestia.
- Indonesia and Russia clearly understand what kind of joint exercises should be organized," he stressed.
Pacific Fleet corvette "Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov" during mooring
Teuku Rezashia believes that Indonesia's membership in BRICS, and the country was admitted there in January this year, allows it to work more closely with Russia in many areas, which helps deepen mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
Change of vector
Last year, ships and vessels of the Russian Navy made more than 50 long-distance voyages. In particular, they visited ports in the Global South, Cuba, India, Venezuela, China and the Middle East, some for the first time in Russia's modern history.
Thus, in 2024, the cruiser Varyag and frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov made a seven-month voyage, traveling from Vladivostok to the Mediterranean Sea and back. At the same time, they took part in a number of exercises and made visits to ports of different countries.
Pacific Fleet cruiser "Varyag" at a berth in Vladivostok
In particular, "Marshal Shaposhnikov" visited the port of Massawa in Eritrea. This was the first call of a Russian warship since the separation of Eritrea from Ethiopia.
Another interesting event was the voyage of three corvettes - the Gromky, Tsydenzhapov and Rezky - from Vladivostok to the Indian Ocean. During this voyage a landmark event took place - for the first time in history the Navy ships took part in the naval exercise "Orruda-2024", which is organized by Indonesia not for the first year.
The frigate "Admiral of the Soviet Union Fleet Gorshkov" together with the nuclear submarine "Kazan" visited Havana in the summer. The visit of our nuclear submarine to a foreign port was the first since 2004 - then the nuclear submarine "Vepr" visited France.
The largest exercises since the Soviet era
Last year the Russian Navy held the largest naval exercise since the Soviet era - Ocean-2024. The Baltic, Northern and Pacific fleets, the Caspian Flotilla and the Navy's permanent formation in the Mediterranean Sea took part in the exercise.
Northern Fleet anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko during the Ocean-2024 strategic command and staff exercise
The maneuvers were held from September 10 to 16, 2024. They involved 400 ships and vessels and about 90,000 servicemen, and took place in different water areas, including the ocean zone. The fleet performed firing of all types of weapons, practiced strikes on land objects, anti-submarine measures.
By and large, practically all ships and vessels capable of going to the high seas took part in them, with the exception of the Black Sea Fleet forces, which are carrying out combat tasks as part of a special military operation. For the first time, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) also took part in such a major exercise.
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