MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday launched the construction of new nuclear submarines and other warships, which are part of a broad military modernization effort amid tensions with the West.
In a video call, Putin gave orders for two nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles along with two diesel-powered submarines and two corvettes at the shipyards in Severodvinsk, St. Petersburg and Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
“We will continue to leverage the potential of the Russian navy, developing its bases and infrastructure, arming it with state-of-the-art weapons,” Putin said. “A strong and sovereign Russia needs a powerful and well-balanced navy.”
The Kremlin has made military modernization one of its top priorities, as relations with the West have fallen to post-Cold War lows following Ukraine’s 2014 annexation of Crimea to Russia. Moscow has tried to restore a regular naval presence in parts of the world that the Soviet Union had during the Cold War.
The Russian navy already has a significant presence in the Mediterranean Sea, with a naval base in the Syrian port of Tartus. It has expanded and modified the base of the Tartus, the only such facility that Russia currently has outside the former Soviet Union.
“We will continue to display the Russian flag in strategically important ocean areas,” Putin said.
Monday’s ceremony of the new ships was part of the Army-2021 fair aimed at showcasing military strength and attracting foreign customers to Russia’s armaments industry. The one-week show includes planes, tanks, missiles and other weapons.
“Many of our weapons have capabilities that have no analogues in the world, and some will remain unmatched for long,” Putin said.