View source for Russian Maritime Self-Defense Forces

{{Icons|Start|Altverse II}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Russian Maritime Self Defense Forces
| native_name                   = Морские силы самообороны России
| image                         = File:Middle Emblem of the Russian Navy.svg
| caption                       = Emblem of the RMSDF
| start_date                    = Original: {{Start date and age|1696|10|01|df=yes}}<br>Current: {{Start date and age|1964|02|01|df=yes}}
| country                       = {{flag|Russia}}
| allegiance                    = 
| branch                        = 
| type                          = {{W|Navy}}
| role                          = {{W|Naval warfare}}
| size                          = 81,000 active personnel<br>120 ships
| command_structure             = 
| garrison                      = {{W|Saint Petersburg}}, Russia
| garrison_label                = 
| nickname                      = 
| patron                        = {{W|Saint Andrew the Apostle}}
| motto                         = {{nowrap|"С нами Бог и Андреевский флаг!"<br>(God and St. Andrew's flag are with us!)}}
| colours                       = {{colorbox|Blue}} Blue {{colorbox|white}} White<br>{{colorbox|red}} Red
| colours_label                 = 
| march                         = "Экипаж — одна семья"<br>(The Crew — One Family)
| mascot                        = 
| equipment                     = 
| equipment_label               = 
| battles                       = 
| anniversaries                 = 
| decorations                   = 
| battle_honours                = <!-- Commanders -->
| commander1                    = [[File:Standard of the President of the Russian Federation Fixed.svg|22px]] [[President of Russia|President]] [[Roman Kosmynin]] 
| commander1_label              = [[President of Russia|Commander-in-Chief]]
| commander2                    = [[File:Standart of the Russian Minister of Defence.svg|22px]] [[Yaroslav Krylov]]
| commander2_label              = [[Minister of Defense (Russia)|Minister of Defense]]
| commander3                    = [[File:Flag of Russia's Chief of Staff.svg|22px]] {{W|Colonel General}} [[Viktor Zolnikov]]
| commander3_label              = [[Chief of the Defense Staff (Russia)|Chief of the Defense Staff]]
| commander4                    = [[File:Flag of Russia's Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.svg|22px]] {{W|Admiral}} [[Egor Makarov]]
| commander4_label              = [[Chief of the Maritime Self-Defense Forces Staff|Chief of Maritime Forces Staff]]
| notable_commanders            = <!-- Insignia -->
| identification_symbol         = [[File:Naval Ensign of Russia.svg|150px]]
| identification_symbol_label   = Ensign
| identification_symbol_2       = [[File:Naval Jack of Russia.svg|150px]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = Jack
| identification_symbol_3       = [[File:Russia, Pendant of Naval 2000 (ships).svg|150px]]
| identification_symbol_3_label = Pennant
| identification_symbol_4       = [[File:Naval sleeve badge of the Russian Federation-1.svg|150px]]
| identification_symbol_4_label = Sleeve patch
}}
The '''Russian Maritime Self-Defense Forces''' ({{W|Russian language|Russian}}: Морские силы самообороны России, '''RMSDF'''), also referred to as the '''Russian Navy''', is the {{W|Navy|naval}} component of the [[Russian Self-Defense Forces]]. As of 2022, the RMSDF has about 81,000 active personnel and 120 warships and auxiliary ships. It is the ''de facto'' navy of Russia and is one of the largest navies in Europe.

The Russian Navy was first established by {{W|Peter the Great}} in 1696 and all of its symbols were designed by him personally. Because Russia has traditionally been a land power with limited access to warm-water ports, during the 19th and 20th centuries the {{W|Imperial Russian Navy}} was considered to have a supporting role to the Army, which was given the priority in development. It underwent some modernization between the 1880s and early 1900s, acquiring modern dreadnoughts and being among the top ten largest navies in the world at the time. After the 1923 [[Russian Revolution]] it saw a severe cut in funding and was neglected by the series of military, democratic, and then [[Derzhavist Russia|derzhavist]] governments that followed, because of the outsized role the Russian Army played in politics in those years and general economic instability. By the end of [[Great War II]], the Russian Navy had largely been left with obsolete equipment and much of it was destroyed. 

In 1964 the [[Allied powers]] decided to establish the Russian Self-Defense Forces with the postwar Russian government. The Russian Maritime Self-Defense Forces (RMSDF) underwent a complete overhaul from the previous situation, with new warships being built and some being donated by Russia's Western allies. Unlike previously, the defense budget during the [[Cold War]] gave the naval forces a larger share, although Russian military doctrine still considers the RMSDF to be secondary and have a supporting role to the [[Russian Ground Self-Defense Forces]] (RGSDF). Despite this the RMSDF became one of the largest navies in Europe by the early 1980s, with the majority of its ships split between the {{W|Arctic Ocean|Arctic}}, {{W|Baltic Sea|Baltic}}, and {{W|Black Sea}}s. Russia has not possessed {{W|aircraft carrier}}s but does have smaller, convertable "{{W|helicopter carrier}}s," however the {{W|guided missile cruisers}} and nuclear submarines are seen as the most important part of the fleet. Since the 1990s the size of the fleet has been downsized, with many older warships being retired and being replaced by more advanced vessels. The Russian fleet has participated in supporting [[League of Nations]] peacekeeping missions and international maritime task forces against piracy. 

In the 21st century the RMSDF is organized into the Northern Fleet in the Arctic Ocean, the Baltic Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Caspian Flotilla. The Chief of Maritime Self-Defense Forces Staff (Начальник штаба Морских сил самообороны) is the highest-ranking officer in command of the force, while the [[President of Russia]] is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Self-Defense Forces (Верховный главнокомандующий Сил самообороны). 

==History==
===Imperial Navy===
Russia's naval history originates in the late 17th century to the {{W|Tsardom of Russia}} when the {{W|Imperial Russian Navy}} was founded in 1696. Under {{W|Emperor of all Russias|Tsar}} {{W|Peter the Great}}, the Imperial Russian Navy was expanded with the creation of the [[Baltic Fleet]], Russia's first fleet, as the first major formation of the navy. The first major conflict in partook in was the {{W|Great Northern War}} (1700–1721) between Russia and the {{W|Swedish Empire}} with Russia's first major naval victory was the {{W|Battle of Kotlin}}. As the [[Russian Empire]] was formed, the navy continued to expand and grow and became one of the biggest navies in all of Europe and the world by the 1720s under Peter the Great, however its quality would deteriorate followng his death and had to be rebuilt under Empress {{W|Anna of Russia}} to retain Russia's military power and keep it as one of the biggest naval powers in the world.  
===First half of the 20th century===
===Cold War===
===Modern RMSDF===

==Structure==
The Maritime Self-Defense Forces Staff is headquartered at the historic {{W|Admiralty, Saint Petersburg|Admiralty Building in Saint Petersburg}}. Saint Petersburg has traditionally been the Russian Navy's headquarters since the times of Peter the Great, and the Kuznetsov Naval Academy is located there as well.

There are four arms in the Russian Maritime Self Defense Forces: the Surface Force, the Submarine Force, the Coastal Troops, and the Naval Aviation. The Coastal Troops include infantry, artillery, armor, and support forces, while the Naval Aviation mainly consists of helicopters along with some mainly ground-based planes. Officially Russia does not have aircraft carriers, but the helicopter carrier it has is easily convertible to accommodate planes. The largest operational formations are four fleets: the Northern, Black Sea, Baltic, and Caspian. Each of them is organized as a combined force with elements of all four arms of the RMSDF, capable of operating independently.

===Tactical organization===
[[File:Typhoon3.jpg|thumb|''Typhoon''-class nuclear submarine, one of the largest submarines in the world.]]
[[File:FrogmenExercise2017-08.jpg|thumb|Naval spetsnaz "Commando Frogman" training, 2017.]]
[[File:Zapad-2013 strategic military exercises (2101-27).jpg|thumb|Naval Infantry during landing exercise, 2013.]]
*[[File:Great emblem of the Russian Navy.svg|30px]] '''Maritime Self-Defense Forces Headquarters''' (Saint Petersburg)
**[[File:Russia, fortress flag (black-yellow-white).svg|30px]] '''Kuznetsov Naval Academy''' (Saint Petersburg)
**[[File:Great emblem of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia.svg|30px]] '''Defense Academy of the Self-Defense Forces of Russia''' (Moscow)
**[[File:Russia, Flag of hydrogrphic vessels of the Navy 2000.svg|30px]] '''Hydrographic Service''' (Arkhangelsk)
**[[File:Russia, Naval flag of rescue vessels of the Interior Force 2000.png|30px]] '''Maritime Special Operations Forces Command''' (Saint Petersburg)
***[[File:Mo narznaki111 7.png|30px]] 42nd "Commando Frogmen" Naval Special Reconnaissance Regiment 
**[[File:Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg|30px]] '''Black Sea Fleet''' (Novorossiysk)
***[[File:Sleeve Insignia 24th Submarine Division.svg|30px]] 4th Submarine Division
***[[File:Sleeve patch of the 30th Surface Ship Division.svg|30px]] 30th Surface Ship Division
***41st Missile Boat Brigade
***68th Coastal Defense Ship Brigade
***176th Oceanographic Exploration Ship Division
***197th Assault Ship Brigade
***[[File:22 армейский корпус.pdf|30px]] 126th Coastal Defense Brigade
***[[File:810th marine brigade patch.png|30px]] 810th Naval Infantry Brigade
***[[File:Sleeve patch of the Naval Aviation of Russia.svg|30px]] Black Sea Fleet Air Force
**[[File:Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg|30px]] '''Baltic Fleet''' (Saint Petersburg)
***12th Surface Ship Division
***36th Missile Boat Brigade
***71st Assault Ship Brigade
***123rd Submarine Brigade
***[[File:Э11обрабр.png|30px]] 11th Coastal Artillery Brigade
***[[File:Эмблема 336 ОБрМДКПБФ.png|30px]] 336th Naval Infantry Brigade
***[[File:Sleeve patch of the Naval Aviation of Russia.svg|30px]] Baltic Fleet Air Force
**[[File:Great emblem of the Northern Fleet.svg|30px]] '''Northern Fleet''' (Arkhangelsk)
***2nd Auxiliary Ship Division
***4th Submarine Division
***7th Submarine Division
***43rd Surface Ship Division
***[[File:Sleeve patch of the Naval Aviation of Russia.svg|30px]] Northern Fleet Air Force
**[[File:Great emblem of the Caspian Flotilla.svg|30px]] '''Caspian Flotilla''' (Astrakhan)
***177th Surface Ship Division
***[[File:Эмблема 879 ОДШБ.png|30px]] 879th Naval Infantry Brigade
***[[File:Sleeve patch of the Naval Aviation of Russia.svg|30px]] Caspian Flotilla Air Force

===Surface and Submarine Force===
The surface and submarine forces are the largest and primary arm of the RMSDF.

===Coastal Troops===
The Coastal Troops consist of the Naval Infantry, the Coastal Artillery, and support various units, such as anti-aircraft defense. Each fleet has several ground units attached to it, mainly Naval Infantry and Coastal Artillery brigades.

===Naval Aviation===
The Naval Aviation of the RMSDF operations from ground-based naval air bases, but the ''Admiral Lazarev'' helicopter carrier is also capable of being converted to hosting airplanes in addition to helicopters. 

==Personnel==
The Russian Maritime Self Defense Forces are a fully volunteer force with enlisted ratings, warrant officers, and commissioned officers. There are about 81,000 personnel as of 2022, down from 150,000 at the height of the Cold War in the early 1980s. The fleet has been downsized since then and the number of personnel has been also. The Kuznetsov Naval Academy is the officer commissioning school for navy lieutenants, while the Defense Academy of the Self-Defense Forces of Russia is the senior staff college for officers ranked captain 1st rank and higher.

===Ranks===
{{Ranks and insignia of the Russian Maritime Self-Defense Forces}}
==Equipment==
===Ships===
<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="140">
File:Minsk aircraft carrier.jpg|''Admiral Lazarev''-class helicopter carrier, flagship of the RMSDF
File:Kerch2007Sevastopol.jpg|{{W|Kara-class cruiser}}, most powerful RMSDF surface combat ship
File:AdmiralVinogradov2009.jpg|{{W|Udaloy-class destroyer}}
File:Admiral Gorshkov frigate 03.jpg|{{W|Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate}}
File:Corvette Steregushchiy.jpg|{{W|Steregushchiy-class corvette}}
File:«Волгодонск».jpg|{{W|Buyan-class corvette}}
File:Schiff «Burya» 03.jpg|{{W|Karakurt-class corvette}}
File:Kaliningrad2004Cartagena.jpg|{{W|Ropucha-class landing ship}}
File:«Мордовия» и «Евгений Кочешков».jpg|{{W|Zubr-class LCAC}}
File:Balzam-class general intelligence collector ship - Ocean Sarafi 85 - DN-ST-86-02553.JPEG|{{W|Balzam-class intelligence ship}}
File:«Дмитрий Рогачёв».jpg|{{W|Project 22160 patrol ship}}
File:Граченок.jpg|{{W|Grachonok-class anti-saboteur ship}} 
File:Тральщик "Александр Обухов".jpg|{{W|Alexandrit-class minesweeper}}
File:Missile range instrumentation ship "Marshal Nedelin" in 1985.jpeg|Missile range instrumentation ship ''Marshal Krylov''
</gallery>
===Aircraft===
<gallery class="center" widths="200" heights="140">
File:Su27K (Su33) DD-SD-99-06153.jpg|{{W|Sukhoi Su-27#Variants|Su-27K}} fight jet on the deck of ''Admiral Lazarev'', which is a convertible "dual-use" helicopter/aircraft carrier
File:Kamov Ka-29 in fight.jpg|{{W|Kamov Ka-29}} naval helicopter.
File:Russian Navy Il-38N.jpg|{{W|Ilyushin Il-38}} anti-submarine aircraft.
File:Return of aircraft and helicopters from the Admiral Kuznetsov to Severomorsk (7).jpg|{{W|Mikoyan MiG-29K}} ground-based fighter.
</gallery>
==Future plans==
==Deployments==
Russian warships have been deployed to the {{W|Persian Gulf}} and the {{W|Arabian Sea}} to combat piracy as part of international task forces. During the Cold War ships regularly toured ports in North America, including the {{W|Pacific Ocean}} and the {{W|Gulf of Mexico}}, to visit Russia's NTO allies there. In the 21st century such naval visits to North America have been less common. 

==See also==
{{Russian Self-Defense Forces}}
{{Allied Naval Command}} 
{{Navies in Europe}} 
{{Collapsible list|title=Attribution notices|
{{En-WP attribution notice|Russian Navy}}
}}
[[Category:Russian Maritime Self-Defense Forces|*]]
[[Category:Russian Self-Defense Forces]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1964]]
[[Category:Navies by country|Russia]]