Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register ST PETERSBURG, Russia, July 31 (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin signed a new naval doctrine on Sunday that makes the United States Russia’s main adversary and defines Russia’s global maritime ambitions in critical areas such as the Arctic and Black Seas . Speaking on Russia’s Navy Day in the former imperial capital of St Petersburg founded by Tsar Peter the Great, Putin praised Peter for making Russia a great maritime power and raising the Russian state’s global standing. After the naval inspection, Putin gave a short speech in which he promised what he touted as Russia’s only supersonic Zircon cruise missiles, warning that Russia had the military clout to defeat any potential aggressors. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Shortly before the speech, he signed a new 55-page naval doctrine, which sets out the overall strategic goals of the Russian navy, including its ambitions as a “great maritime power” spanning the entire globe. The main threat to Russia, the doctrine says, is “the US strategic policy of dominating the world’s oceans” and the movement of the NATO military alliance closer to Russia’s borders. Russia can use its military power appropriately for the situation in the world’s oceans if other soft powers, such as diplomatic and economic tools, are exhausted, the doctrine says. Putin did not mention the conflict in Ukraine during his speech, but the military doctrine foresees an “overall strengthening of Russia’s geopolitical position” in the Black and Azov seas. He also identified the Arctic Ocean, which the United States has repeatedly said Russia is trying to militarize, as an area of particular importance to Russia. Russia’s vast 37,650 km coastline, which stretches from the Sea of Japan to the White Sea, also includes the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Putin said the delivery of the Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles to the Admiral Gorshkov frigate would begin within months. The location of their deployment will depend on Russian interests, he said. “The key here is the capability of the Russian navy… It is able to respond with lightning speed to anyone who decides to violate our sovereignty and freedom.” The hypersonic weapons can travel at nine times the speed of sound, and Russia has conducted previous test launches of the Zircon from warships and submarines in the past year. In Crimea, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozayev said Ukrainian forces struck the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the Russian port city early Sunday, injuring five personnel. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Edited by Guy Faulconbridge, William Maclean Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
