Russia has launched massive naval exercises in the Baltic Sea with 20 warships and 3,000 troops, sending a clear message to NATO amid rising regional tensions. Activities include anti-submarine warfare, countering unmanned vessels, and live-fire exercises against sea and air threats. Is Russia preparing for war?
Russia’s Show of Naval Strength
The Russian Navy has commenced large-scale naval maneuvers in the Baltic Sea, deploying an impressive array of military assets. The exercises involve more than 20 warships, various aircraft, and helicopters, along with approximately 3,000 military personnel. The deployment includes frigates, corvettes, missile launchers, anti-submarine vessels, minesweepers, and support ships. Forces from the Northern Fleet and aviation support from the Aerospace Forces of the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts are participating in the coordinated operations that showcase Russia’s maritime military capabilities.
According to a statement from the Russian Baltic Fleet, “Currently, the ships have left their bases and deployed to designated areas of the Baltic Sea to perform combat training missions.” While the Russian military has not disclosed the duration of these exercises, they have clearly outlined their objectives. The primary purpose is to maintain what Russia considers a “favorable operational regime” in the Baltic region and to practice defending naval bases from potential threats in an area increasingly surrounded by NATO member states.
Russia starts major naval drills in the Baltic Sea.
20 warships, 3000 troops and air support involved.@ShivanChanana and @SaroyaHem tell you more.#RussiaUkraineWar pic.twitter.com/tdGCZMWsuj
— WION (@WIONews) May 28, 2025
Response to NATO’s Northern Expansion
The timing of Russia’s naval drills is significant, coming in direct response to NATO exercises near the Russian border in Finland, which joined the alliance in April 2023. Finland’s accession to NATO marked a historic shift in European security architecture, ending decades of military neutrality and creating an additional 830-mile NATO-Russia border. Sweden’s parallel move to join the alliance further altered the Baltic Sea’s strategic landscape, with nearly the entire coastline now controlled by NATO members. These geopolitical shifts have fundamentally changed Russia’s security calculus in a region it considers vital to its interests.
President Putin has publicly dismissed Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership as “meaningless” and potentially harmful to their national interests. Despite this rhetoric, Russia’s military actions tell a different story. The Kremlin has warned that the expansion of NATO to its borders would necessitate “compensatory measures” to ensure Russian security, with these naval exercises representing a tangible manifestation of that policy. Moscow has consistently argued that NATO’s eastward expansion threatens to destabilize the delicate balance of regional security.
🇷🇺Begins Major Navy Drills in Baltic Sea
The Russian Baltic Fleet was joined by the Northern Fleet in the exercises – with support from Aerospace Forces.
The drills involved more than 20 warships, boats and support vessels, the fleet's press service reported.
📹: Russian MoD pic.twitter.com/6VzTdQhjUF
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) May 27, 2025
Rising Tensions in a Strategic Waterway
The Baltic Sea has emerged as a critical flashpoint in European security, bordered by NATO allies Sweden, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave as a military outpost. Recent incidents involving damage to undersea telecommunication cables have heightened concerns about hybrid warfare tactics. Western security officials have expressed worry that Russia or China might be conducting reconnaissance operations aimed at critical underwater infrastructure, which could be targeted in a potential future conflict to disrupt communications and economic activity.
The naval drills also coincide with Russia’s new practice of providing military escorts for its “shadow fleet” oil tankers moving through the Gulf of Finland. This development represents a significant escalation in Russia’s approach to protecting its economic interests in the face of Western sanctions. The shadow fleet consists of vessels that operate outside international regulatory frameworks to circumvent restrictions on Russian oil exports. By providing military protection for these tankers, Moscow is signaling its determination to maintain vital energy export routes despite international pressure.
Sources:
- Russia Launches Massive Baltic Sea Drills With 20+ Warships and Thousands of Troops | UNITED24 Media