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ABOUT THIS SITE |
The State of the Russian Navy Data Page began as an attempt to organize the odd scraps of news and information about the Russian fleet that I had lying around. The Navy is a rapidly evolving institution set in one of the most dynamic political environments in the world. As such, it is difficult to really get a sense of what it's doing or where it's going. In the mainstream Western media, the Russian Navy is usually portrayed as one of two, completely different animals: a nearly-expired, decaying remnant of a fallen empire, or the insidious oceanic vanguard of a resurgent nationalist Russia. Both are hopeless caricatures. In a way, this site was assembled in hopes of replacing the caricatures with a clearer vision of what the Russian fleet of the future will look like.
That said, I should perhaps begin by saying what this site is not. It is not intended to be a technical reference to the hardware used by the Russian Navy, nor is it intended to provide an authoritative fleet order-of-battle. Some time ago a visitor to these pages was astonished that there wasn't a single photo of a Russian ship to be found anywhere on the site. Providing pictures and hardware details was never really my intent; those people who would find the material on this site at all interesting would likely already know what a Kirov looked like -- and if they didn't, they would surely know how to find out. As a student of international relations, with no training in the art or science of fighting ships, I defer to this year's edition of Combat Fleets to provide the technical details. This site focuses on more recent information about the Russian Navy, which is largely scattered over dozens of publications and, in contrast, cannot be found in the big hardcover annuals. For this reason, I have suspended the development of the "Technical Folder" section of this page; the editors at Jane's Information Group can (and do) offer much better insights into this aspect than I could ever dream of doing. A few words on sources. I am frequently asked how I obtain the information that appears on this site. All of it comes from open-source materials, naturally, and most of it comes from English summaries and translations of the Russian media. The best known instance of this service is the U.S. Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS), which prepares a translated summary of the day's most important news items, sorted by region. Operating under the auspices of the Central Intelligence Agency, the FBIS is a cherished resource for area studies specialists throughout the country. There are two other online services worth mentioning. The first is the Open Media Research Institute (OMRI), which publishes a daily digest on Russian and Eastern European affairs. The second is the Jamestown Foundation's Monitor, which recently became available by subscription only and is particularly good at highlighting military-related items. On the less area-specific side, periodicals such as the U.S. Naval Institute's monthly Proceedings often carry very good information on Russian naval developments. A lot of good background information can also be found in Norman Polmar's Naval Institute Guide to the Soviet Navy, which ceased publication with its Fifth Edition in 1991 but remains invaluable for its detailed look at the Soviet Navy immediately prior to the collapse. The Naval Institute also publishes Combat Fleets of the World, a biennial volume which is said by many to give Jane's a run for its money; and Norman Friedman's World Naval Weapons Systems, whose 1994 Update provides an early, detailed look at much of the new hardware that the Russian Navy is considering in the post-collapse era. And of course, no naval bibliography would be complete without mention of Jane's Fighting Ships, the grandfather of all "hardcover references" which should be entering its 100th year of publication shortly. Finally, to round out the list of sources, I must mention the news and updates which are passed along to me by visitors to this site, many from Russia. No single person can adequately cover the full gamut of information out there, and volunteered information goes a long way in bringing this site closer to completion. My thanks to all of you to have taken the time and effort to send this information to me. Since creating this site, I have passed from my undergraduate field of international relations and security studies and started the full-time J.D. program at Yale Law School. Unfortunately this means that I can no longer count on a significant overlap between classroom studies and free-time studies. In more concrete terms, I have less time available to research and update this site. Russian naval doctrine is pretty far removed from the intricacies of the criminal justice system, and switching between the two requires a fairly drastic shifting of mental gears. Like the other web sites which I have the pleasure of maintaining, I will attempt to update things at least on a monthly basis. Enjoy the site. I've enjoyed putting it together.
Robin J. Lee
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