Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of President Putin’s Decree No. 512 on the UK’s maritime strategy.

The 2021 Integrated Review (IR) of Defence outlined Russia as the most acute threat to our security. We continue to assess the threat posed by Russia, and beyond. Russia's recent maritime activity, as set out in Decree No. 512, presents challenges which impact upon the interests of the UK, our Allies and partners.

Growing our maritime capabilities will enable the projection of power further afield and the conduct of operations from increased range. We continue to remain vigilant that Russia continues to invest in and is developing significant underwater capabilities, including deep-sea capabilities which can threaten undersea cables, as well as a torpedo capable of delivering a nuclear payload to coastal targets.