Russia's naval resurgence in Eurasia?

Abstract

ABSTRACTRussia is a leading actor seeking regional influence in Eurasia. Among many aspects of its re-emerging profile, the Russian navy's pre-eminence in the region is noteworthy. Immediately after the disintegration of the USSR, a lack of funding dealt a blow to the Russian navy. However, with the aim of restoring Russian naval power, President Putin began to modernise the Russian navy. Therefore, after setting the backdrop and the strategic outlook of Russia, the study first examines the drivers behind Russia's quest for resurgence and goes on to analyse the trends and intentions of the Russian navy, especially in the four seas of Eurasia – namely the Black Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Caspian Sea. The paper also attempts to compare the Russian navy's strength with that of the erstwhile Soviet navy. The study concludes that in order to attain the erstwhile Soviet Union's naval power, Russia would need to overcome a major economic crisis as well as geopolitical challenges.