ISW: The Russian Navy Is Going On The Defensive

• 27.07.2026, 9:10

The Results of a Disgraceful Day for the Russian Navy.

The Russian Navy is forming regiments of unmanned systems, likely in part to protect Russian ships from intensified Ukrainian strikes on Russian naval facilities in the Black and Azov Seas.

This is stated in a recent report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts point to a statement made the day before by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, who stated that the Russian Navy has formed its first regiment of unmanned systems as part of the Northern Fleet and plans to form additional regiments of unmanned systems and incorporate a similar structure into the Russian Pacific Fleet by 2027.

“The Russian armed forces have implemented a wide range of measures to defend against Ukraine’s intensifying offensive campaign … by relocating and dispersing ships, deploying anti-drone nets, and deploying mobile task forces and aerial patrols, but have largely failed to defend against Ukrainian strikes and adapt to them,” the report states.

The ISW also emphasizes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin used Russian Navy Day to demonstrate his power, while simultaneously intensifying his expansionist territorial claims beyond Ukraine.