Between September 10 and 16, 2024, the russian Federation Navy conducted OKEAN-24, a large-scale strategic exercise. This followed a two-year pause on any large-scale exercises by the armed forces of russia. Up until 2022, russia would conduct an annual exercise involving all its armed forces – the Joint Strategic Exercise – but the last two have been cancelled almost certainly as a consequence of the demands of the war in Ukraine, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
OKEAN-24 was likely an effort to demonstrate reach and capability in spite of the war. Initial russian media reports stated that OKEAN-2024 would involve over 400 vessels, 120 aircraft, 7,000 vehicles and 90,000 personnel, with units conducting operations in the Barents, Baltic, Mediterranean and Caspian Sea as well as the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
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The exercise did operate in these areas, but russia has almost certainly grossly exaggerated these figures as there are currently only around 300 vessels available to take part.
No OKEAN-2024 activity took place in the Black Sea, highly likely because of Ukrainian attacks in the first six months of 2024.
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