Assessing Russia's Pacific Fleet: Posturing or Preparedness?
Russia's Pacific Fleet lacks the "combat power" to posture in a way that would be seen as threatening to others, according to the Institute for the Study of War. The Kremlin likely intended to use the Pacific Fleet's combat readiness checks to attempt to deter further Japanese support for Ukraine ahead of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in May. The Pacific Fleet likely lacks the available combat power in the Pacific region to posture in a way that would be truly threatening to Japan or suitable for Russia power projection attempts that would be able to convince China that it is an equal military power.