Russia is making moves to revive and increase the size and scope of its Black Sea submarine fleet, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated.
Project 636.3 Varshavyanka diesel-electric submarines that will sequentially join the Russian Black Sea Fleet will help revive full-fledged submarine forces in Novorossiysk already next year, Russia’s Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Viktor Chirkov said.
He stated during a meeting with the Main Naval Command in Saint Petersburg on Monday that he believes that the submarine fleet will be "revived" and ready for action by 2016.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet will have a group of submarines possessing the long-range and autonomous cruising capacity, modern armament systems and effective radio-technical and navigational complexes.
The submarines will be based at the Novorossiysk port on the Russian mainland across from the Crimean peninsula.
The naval base, which lies about 60 miles from the annexed Crimean peninsula, will alarm NATO and European Union (EU) leaders, who will see the move as an attempt to further legitimize Russia’s claimed ownership of the former Ukrainian territory and further evidence of the Kremlin reverting to a military stance reminiscent of the Cold-War.
"The construction of a series of six Project 636 diesel-electric submarines for the Black Sea Fleet is under constant control of the Navy’s Main Command. Until the end of 2015, the Navy will receive the submarine Krasnodar. Two more Project 636 submarines — the Kolpino and Veliky Novgorod — are in the active phase of their construction at the Admiralty Shipyards and we plan to accept them for operation in the Navy until the end of 2016," the admiral said.
“The formation will consist of a group of 636 submarines, which have large sea endurance, modern weapon systems, effective radio and navigational systems,” Admiral Viktor Chirkov emphasized.