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On 29 July, the Russian Navy noted the 316th anniversary of its establishment. The creation of a regular Russian Navy was part of the need for the country to overcome its territorial, political, and cultural isolation, which was the main impediment to economic and social development of the Russian state at the turn of the 18th century.
Mostly using indigenous resources, the Navy worked out the main shipbuilding problems and the effective handling of surface ships before the First World War. During the Second World War, naval aviation developed, and, in the post-war period, with the advent of missiles with nuclear warheads and marine nuclear power plants, submarines have become the capital units of the fleet. Eventually, the Navy became a multifaceted force of naval aviation, coastal defence, naval infantry, and an oceangoing fleet.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Navy secured the strategic flanks of the Soviet-German front, attacked the ships and vessels of the enemy, and defended Russian maritime communications. In the post-war years, the Navy took on oceanic tasks, integrating nuclear power and guided missiles, becoming a highly-mobile capable force able to undertake any task in the defence of the Russian State. Perhaps, the Navy hit its peak in combat potential in the mid-1980’s. Today, the Russian Navy consists of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic, and Black Sea Fleets, as well as the Caspian Flotilla.
1 August 2012
RIA-Novosti
Voices from Russia 
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