Russia is focusing on building up its far eastern forces, particularly the Navy, as the Northern Sea Route opens up.

Brief: Russia’s Eastward Turn

Background: Russia is following the trend and looking east, hoping to solidify its position on the Northern Sea Route and defend its remote eastern borders, some of which are still the subject of disputes with Japan. In a declaration of its eastern focus, Moscow is gradually building up, modernizing and training its Pacific Fleet.



What Happened: As many as 20 surface warships and submarines as well as approximately 20 aircraft from Russia’s Pacific Fleet started exercises in the central Pacific. Participating ships include the Varyag missile cruiser, the Admiral Panteleyev anti-submarine ship and the Marshal Shaposhnikov frigate, and the aircraft include Tu-142MZ anti-submarine planes and MiG-31BM fighter-interceptors, among others. According to Russian media, it’s Russia’s largest Pacific exercise since the Soviet Union. A former chief of the Russian navy’s General Staff said the drills were unprecedented in scale and were taking place far from coastal support infrastructure.

Bottom Line: In less than a week, Russian President Vladimir Putin will sit down in Geneva with U.S. President Joe Biden. It’s impossible to separate these unprecedented drills from the wider context of that visit. Moscow is signaling its might and its determination to have a seat at the table in the Asia-Pacific region.