The Imperial Russian Navy was established by Peter the Great (Peter I) in October 1696. The symbols of the Russian Navy, the St. Andrew's ensign, and most of its traditions were established personally by Peter I.
The port had previously been under the sovereignty of Ukraine following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and a formal partition treaty was signed by Ukraine and Russia in 1997. Portions of the port were owned by the private sector.. The port came under full Russian control when Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula in early 2014 after a highly criticized referendum known as the 2014 Crimean status referendum.
Russian Navy in the context of Sevastopol Naval Base
The Sevastopol Naval Base (Russian: Севастопольская военно-морская база; Ukrainian: Севастопольська військово-морська база) is a naval base located in Sevastopol, in the disputedCrimean Peninsula. The base is used by the Russian Navy, and it is the main base of the Black Sea Fleet. Internationally, the base is recognised as part of Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation.
The Black Sea Fleet has its official primary headquarters and facilities at the Sevastopol Naval Base, Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The rest of the fleet's facilities are based in locations on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, including Krasnodar Krai, Rostov Oblast and Crimea.
Vitus Jonassen Bering (/ˈbɛərɪŋ,ˈbɛrɪŋ/BAIR-ing, BERR-ing, US also /ˈbɪərɪŋ/BEER-ing, Danish:[ˈviːtsʰusˈjoːnæsn̩ˈpe̝(ː)ɐ̯e̝ŋ]; baptised 5 August 1681 – 19 December 1741), also known as Ivan Ivanovich Bering (Russian: Иван Иванович Беринг), was a Danish-born Russian cartographer, explorer, and officer in the Russian Navy. He is known as a leader of two Russian expeditions, the First Kamchatka Expedition and the Great Northern Expedition, exploring the northeastern coast of the Asian continent and from there the western coast of the North American continent. The Bering Strait, the Bering Sea, Bering Island, the Bering Glacier, and Vitus Lake were all named in his honor.
Taking to the seas as a ship's boy at age 15, Bering traveled extensively over the next eight years, as well as taking naval training in Amsterdam. In 1704, he enrolled with the rapidly expanding navy of Tsar Peter I. After serving with the navy in significant but non-combat roles during the Great Northern War, Bering resigned in 1724 to avoid the continuing embarrassment of his low rank to his wife, and upon retirement was promoted to first captain. Bering was permitted to keep the rank when he rejoined the Russian Navy later that year.
Russian Navy in the context of Russian Naval Infantry
The Russian Naval Infantry (Russian: Морская пехота России, romanized: Morskaya pekhota Rossii, lit. 'Russian sea infantry'), often referred to as Russian Marines in the West, operate as the naval infantry of the Russian Navy. Established in 1705, they are capable of conducting amphibious operations as well as operating as more traditional light infantry.
The Naval Infantry also fields the Russian Navy's only special operations unit, known as the ‘commando frogmen’. Frogmen are typically drawn from the Naval Infantry's ranks, and they are capable of a wide range of special operations tasks and missions. Colloquially, Russian-speakers may refer to Naval Infantrymen using the abbreviation морпехи (morpekhi (plural), singular form: морпех (morpekh)).