Naval cooperation between the Royal Navy of Great Britain and the Russian Federation Navy is based on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 1998 by the Commanders-in-Chief of both Navies. The main focus of activities is to improve the level of mutual understanding and interoperability so that the two Navies will be able to operate together in the future in the area of Peace Support Operations. Activities are divided into 7 main areas:

OPERATIONAL UNITS

Visits by Royal Navy warships to Russia usually occur several times a year. In recent years the following ports have been visited: Vladivostok, St Petersburg, Baltiysk and Murmansk (Severomorsk). Each visit presents an opportunity for officers and men of both Navies to exchange their experiences and, wherever possible, a joint exercise will be conducted at sea to allow ships' companies to work together in realistic circumstances.

In July 2008 HMS EXETER visited Murmansk (Severomorsk) to participate in the celebrations to mark Russian Federation Navy Day. The crew were extremely well looked-after and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Many of them were able to take the opportunity to visit the Hero City of Murmansk. A link has been established between the 12th Division of Surface Ships in Baltiysk and the Devonport Flotilla in Plymouth.  Every time ships of these formations meet they compete in a friendly sporting competition for a silver trophy called ‘The Baltic Cup’.

OPERATIONAL TRAINING

In addition to exercises before or after the visits to each other’s ports, Russian and British warships undergo operational training together in the quadrilateral exercise “FRUKUS” (France, Russia, UK and USA), which is hosted in turn by one of the participating nations every year in June. Over the years this exercise has evolved from talks to a tabletop exercise to a practical exercise at sea. The last such exercise was held off the East coast of the USA in June 2007, and planning is underway for this exercise to take place in France in summer 2009. There is much potential for improving co-operation in this area in the future as the two Navies learn to operate together.

JUNIOR OFFICERS' TRAINING

Friendly links have been established between the Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth, England and the St Petersburg Naval Institute named after Peter the Great (SPNI). At the beginning of June 2006 this was formalised by the signing of a twinning agreement. The Commandant of SPNI visited BRNC in May 2008.  He familiarised himself with the College and the Royal Navy's methods for training junior officers. There were plenty of opportunities to meet those undergoing training at the College and to gain their perspective on the future of maritime operations.

STAFF TRAINING

A strong link has been established between the Royal Navy’s Maritime Warfare Centre in Portsmouth and the Naval Academy named after Kuznetsov in St Petersburg. In an annual programme of events, senior officers from both organisations investigate and solve problems associated with the conduct of joint operations and this experience is then fed back into practical exercises, for example into FRUKUS exercises at sea.

STAFF TALKS

Staff Talks usually take place between the two Navies every two years, during which areas of mutual interest are discussed and plans made for future co-operation under the 1998 Memorandum of Understanding for Naval Cooperation. The next round of talks will take place in London in 2009. A visit by the Head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Jonathan Bond, to the Russian Federation in 2008 provided an opportunity to deepen relationships at the most senior level.

SUBMARINE ESCAPE AND RESCUE

Following the signature of a NATO/Russia Framework Document on Submarine Escape and Rescue (SMER) in Munich in February 2003, the Royal Navy and the Russian Federation Navy have undertaken a number of information exchange visits and bilateral exercises. The successful rescue of stricken Russian submariners on board the Priz AS-28 near Kamchatka in August 2005 gave additional impetus to work that was already under way.

Officers from the Russian Federation Navy completed Submarine Escape Training with the Royal Navy at Fort Blockhouse, Gosport, in November 2006 and November 2007, with the programme culminating in an ascent from a depth of 30 metres. In June 2007 a Royal Navy delegation attended the annual Russian Federation Navy SMER capability demonstration at the Baltiysk Naval Base, and in August 2006 representatives from the Royal Navy visited the Russian Black Sea Fleet SMER Organisation in Sevastopol. Such visits provide a useful forum for the 2 Navies to discuss areas of mutual interest and cooperation in the field of SMER.

ARCTIC MILITARY ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME (AMEC)

AMEC is a programme of cooperation involving the Ministries of Defence of Norway, the United States of America, Russia and the UK, which is aimed at addressing environmental issues affecting the Arctic region of Northwest Russia. The UK joined AMEC in June 2003 as part of its commitment to spend $750m within the framework of the G8 Global Partnership to address Cold War legacy issues in Russia and the Former Soviet Union. The UK is leading a number of AMEC projects associated with the safe storage, transport and dismantling of decommissioned nuclear-powered submarines.

Projects completed in 2009 included one to recycle the polystyrene foam injected into the ballast tanks of submarines that are to be towed to the ship-breaker's yard to provide them with extra buoyancy.  When no longer required, the used polystyrene is mixed with concrete to make relatively lightweight, but extremely strong, bricks that can be used in building construction.  Similarly, a project to construct pontoons to provide extra buoyancy for submarines under tow was completed.