Russian Navy Day: 327th anniversary

Russian Navy Day is celebrated today, on July 30, the last Sunday of this summer month.

Our country is one of the world’s largest naval powers, having all the necessary tools to protect national interests including in the seas. Over the 327 years of its existence, the Russian Navy has made a great journey – from the wooden two-masted flatboat of the Peter the Great era to formidable nuclear-missile submarine cruisers.  

The Azov Flotilla, which was formed of ships and vessels built in the winter of 1695 and 1696 and designed to assist the army in a campaign to capture the Turkish Azov Fortress, became a precursor of the national Navy Fleet.  

The true origin of Russian naval traditions was the October 30, 1696 decree of the Boyar Duma on the construction of a regular fleet, accepted upon the recommendation of Peter the Great. 

“The Russian Navy shall set sail.”

Four years later, on May 8, 1700, the first Russian warship of the line, Goto Predestinatsia (“God's Providence”) was commissioned and built according to the design of the tsar himself.  

The Baltic Fleet was created during the Great Northern War (1700–1721); without it our country would not have won a victory over Sweden and further become one of the world’s greatest powers.  

In 1703, the base of the Russian fleet was laid in the Baltics – Kronslot (later – Kronstadt). Russia’s first sea fortress was erected there in 1723. This fortress helped to keep the Northern capital intact during the wars. For example, the Russian fleet prevented the breakthrough of Swedes to St Petersburg during the Battle of Krasnogorsk in 1790, while during the Russian-Turkish wars, ships of the English fleet did not even dare to attack Kronstadt. And today it is the base of Russia’s Baltic Fleet, and it rightfully bears the proud name of the sea shield of St Petersburg. 

The fleet has had a permanent base in the Baltics since May 18, 1703; the history of the Caspian Flotilla dates back to November 15, 1722 and the Black Sea Fleet to May 13, 1783. Groupings of the fleet’s forces in the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans were created temporarily and periodically eliminated if they failed to develop substantially. The current Pacific and Northern Fleets were permanently established on April 21, 1932 and June 1, 1933 respectively. 

The Navy Fleet of the Russian Federation is the successor of the Navy Fleet of Russia and the Navy Fleet of the Soviet Union consisting of naval nuclear forces and general-purpose naval forces. It comprises surface and submarine forces, as well as marine aviation and coastal defence troops made up of coastal missile and artillery troops and the marines. Structurally, the Russian Navy consists of five operational-strategic units: the Northern, the Pacific, the Baltic, and the Black Sea fleets and the Caspian Flotilla.

The history of celebrations in honour of the fleet goes back to the time of Peter the Great. The first Navy parade was held to celebrate the victory of the Russian fleet in the Battle of Gangut on July 27, 1714, during the Great Northern War. 

Russian Navy Day dates back to 1939, when the holiday was established as the Navy Day of the Soviet Union, celebrated on July 24. In 1980, the celebration date was moved to the last Sunday of July. In 2006, Russian Navy Day was given the status of a memorial day in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation via an executive order by the President of the Russian Federation. 

💬 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin:

We set the boundaries and areas of Russia’s national interests – economic, vital and strategic – clearly and transparently. First and foremost, these are our waters of the Arctic, the Black Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Baltic and Kuril Straits. We will ensure their protection rigorously and using all available tools (an extract from the address at the Main Naval Parade held on July 31, 2022).