The British Navy's top naval commander said that despite the conflict in Ukraine lasting a few more years, Russia's investment into its Northern Fleet has not diminished. He added that Western powers were tested by Moscow's "aggressive" posture.

The Russian investment in the Northern Fleet and, in particular, their subsurface capability, has not diminished, said General Gwyn Jenkins of the Royal Navy at a naval conference organized by IFRI, a French think tank.

He said that despite the 'horrendous cost to Russia in terms of blood and national resources, their egregious?invasion?of Ukraine has continued to pour money into their Northern Fleet, and their subsurface capability.

Jenkins, speaking with top naval chiefs from the United States of America, France, Italy, and the Netherlands, said that Russia's activities were testing Western capabilities. This was due to the time it takes to?upgrade, build, and?develop? new vessels, in an ever-changing technological world.

Jenkins said that "it doesn't require many assets to fix the relationship between us and our adversaries because we are very risk averse. We don't want an aggressive actor in our backyard. That requires a lot of resources to deal with."

Vice-Admiral Harold Liebregs of the Royal Netherlands Navy, echoed Jenkins comments, saying that Russia is becoming more confident in the North Sea and is loitering near vital infrastructure. He may be preparing for further action.

He said: "We see ships using drones to fly over our territory. We also see the Shadow Fleet or Dark Fleet that fuels the Russian war economy by using ships which are not insured, poorly maintained and pose liability issues.

"I believe the main point here is that this should not be accepted as the new norm, because it puts us in a situation where we have less flexibility to manoeuvre and creates a more unsuitable strategic position." (Reporting and editing by John Irish)

(source: Reuters)