Russian Amphibious Capabilities

Kontraktniki and Rust Buckets (Part One)

In February 1944, the Soviets attempted to end the stalemate along the frontline at Narva by launching an amphibious landing behind the German lines at Meriküla. However, this ended in a disaster for the Soviet forces (Mil-history.livejournal.com, February 15, 2015). The Meriküla operation was one of many Soviet tactical amphibious landings during the Great Patriotic War, but none of them approached the enormous scale of Operation Overlord (which opened with the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings in Normandy). The Soviet forces also lacked specialized landing craft like landing craft tanks (LCT). Nonetheless, the country’s ability to accomplish amphibious operations matured in ensuing years. Assessments done during the Cold War suggested that the Soviet Union planned for large-scale amphibious operations at least in the Baltic Sea—in particular, targeting Denmark. In fact, the Soviet Armed Forces practiced such a scenario in large-scale exercises such as Priliv 1963, Rügen 1968, Val 1977 and ensuing drills in the spring and summer of 1978 (Diis.dk, 2005). The Soviet amphibious capabilities also had an impact on Swedish war plans, which focused on thwarting a possible Soviet landing in the central and southern part of the country. This is now history, but what is the present Russian amphibious capability and how might it develop?

In order to accomplish an amphibious landing, there is a need for units equipped and trained for such a task, naval infantry or mechanized infantry, landing craft, and enough assets to ensure command of the sea as well as the air in the actual landing area. Depending on the scope and aim of the landing, there is also a need for follow-on forces and a means to transport them. An amphibious landing is a highly complex operation; therefore, landing exercises are imperative in order to maintain and develop this capability over time.

• In 2014, the Northern Fleet’s 61^st Naval Infantry Brigade (based in Sputnik, Murmansk oblast) upgraded from a regiment to a brigade with the addition of a battalion, a sniper company and logistics units (Vesti, November 28, 2014).
• The Baltic Fleet currently includes the 336^st Naval Infantry Brigade (based in Baltijsk, Kaliningrad oblast).
• The Black Sea Fleet’s amphibious capabilities are carried out by the 810^th Naval Infantry Brigade (Sevastopol, in occupied Crimea). In 1999, the freshly reorganized 264^th Naval Infantry Regiment was renamed as the 810^th, and, in 2008, it was upgraded to a brigade (Bastion-opk.ru, June 6, 2016).
• In the Caspian Flotilla, the 77^th Naval Infantry Brigade was set up in 2000 but disbanded in 2008. Its remnants currently include the 414^th and 727^th Naval Infantry Battalions (Kaspiisk, Dagestan; and Astrakhan, Astrakhan oblast, respectively) (Mptaifun.ru, August 17, 2016).
• The Pacific Fleet has two amphibious assault units: the 155^th Naval Infantry Brigade (Vladivostok, Primorsky krai) and the 40^th Naval Infantry Brigade (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka krai). The 155^th is an heir to the 55^thNaval Infantry Division, disbanded in 2009; while the latter unit was first organized in 2007 and, in 2009, reorganized as the 3^rd Naval Infantry Regiment but, in 2013, resurrected as a brigade (Voennoe Obrozrenie, November 27 2013; Voinskayachast.net, accessed May 16, 2017).