How would you build an effective Russian navy?
Short answerA Russian fleet needs strong ports in the Northern, Pacific, Baltic, and Black Sea regions, reliable rail and canal links between them, and experienced personnel who stay in service.
NotesA Russia-based role-playing scenario brings out the difficulty of supporting four widely separated fleets. Northern, Pacific, Baltic, and Black Sea bases need their own maintenance capacity and preferably their own shipbuilding facilities. Railways and canals must connect those regional centres so they can supply and sustain one another. Design and logistics therefore need common organisation alongside strong local infrastructure. The Russo-Japanese War illustrates the distances involved when reinforcements must move by sea. Retaining experienced officers also matters, because losing or marginalising capable leaders weakens the institution that operates the ships.