Russia to boost navy in Black Sea, seeks presence in Atlantic

Moscow is planning to boost the strategic positions of its navy in the Black Sea in response to NATO's “inadmissible” expansion towards Russian borders.

According to a newly-revised version of the Russian Navy’s doctrine published Sunday on the country’s official navy website, “strategic Russian positions” near the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea will receive reinforcements and infrastructure improvements.

The updated doctrine states that Russia also aims at “guaranteeing an adequate military naval presence” in the Atlantic, as well as the Mediterranean, in a “permanent manner.”

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Sunday that President Vladimir Putin has approved changes to the country’s naval strategic doctrine to stop NATO’s “eastward expansion.”

In February, NATO announced establishment of outposts in six eastern European states to counter what the alliance calls Russian aggression.

“Our attention towards the Atlantic is justified by the expansion of NATO in the East,” Rogozin further said.

The new document also calls for strategic stability in the energy-rich Arctic and the growing importance of the North Sea route.

“The Arctic grants easy unlimited access to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. And of course, it is the richness of the continental shelf that requires careful attention in its development,” Rogozin added.

Putin approved the amendments during the festivities marking Russia’s Navy Day on Sunday and called the amendments a “milestone event for the future of the Navy.”

Russia is currently undergoing a reform program to modernize 70 percent of its military by 2020.

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