ST. PETERSBURG, July 28. /TASS/. Russian Navy is ready to fight back any aggressor, President Vladimir Putin said at the Main Naval Parade marking Russia’s Navy Day on Sunday.

"Our Navy ensures security of the country, its national interests and can properly repulse any aggressor," the president said.

This is guaranteed by unique weapons that Russia has, "but the most important is that the courage and training standards of the fleet crews, loyalty to the St. Andrew’s Flag and devotion to the Fatherland remain a special and lofty duty for them, the sailors stand to the end when they perform their combat missions," the president stressed.

"At the time of bitter trials, the seamen are ready to give their lives for their ship, their people and the Fatherland," Putin emphasized, citing numerous examples of heroism revealed by Russian sailors back in the 19th century, during World War II and most recent examples, like the courage of the crew during the fire onboard a Russian submersible in the Barents Sea.

"The Fatherland has always remembered and will always remember the feats of the Russian sailors," Putin pledged, thanking the seamen for seeking inspiration from heroic traditions, for their unity and strength, for bravery and courage, and for their service to the Fatherland.

He said Navy Day is celebrated across the whole country, which honors "all those who at different times in history served Russia faithfully and loyally, and who continue doing this on its borders and far away from the homeland".

A unique fleet

Vladimir Putin also noted that Russia plans to build the unique fleet.

"The heroism of sailors, the talent of naval commanders and ship-builders, daring of scientists and courage of pioneers have brought great naval glory to Russia. We will not only hold the bar high, but we will continue to move further - we will be building a unique in its possibilities fleet, designed for a long time, the fleet of a strong and sovereign state," the president stressed.

As a guarantee to this, the president mentioned "today’s successes of our sailors, their bid to meet the requirements of the time and look to the future, readiness to constantly update their skills as well as resolutely execute the command ‘Full speed ahead’".

Putin praised naval officers of Russia for making outstanding discoveries in geography, biology and geology. Russia’s "Navy has made substantial contribution to the development of Russian science and today it is among the first to use cutting edge hardware, to efficiently use and develop next generation engineering and design solutions that have no analogues in the world," he said.

"Alone this year, Navy will accept for service 15 warships and boats," he said, adding that naval air force and coastal defense troops were being updated, as well as the infrastructure of naval bases. "The practice of round-the-world voyages has been revived," Putin stressed, citing as an example the Admiral Gorshkov frigate that had spent five months on a round-the-world voyage, sailing across four oceans.

The frigate was among the warships taking part in the Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg earlier on Sunday. The Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg and Kronshtadt on Sunday involved more than 4,000 personnel, 43 warships and submarines as well as 41 aircraft. Naval parades have been held also in Baltiysk, Sevastopol, Severomorsk and Astrakhan, as well as in the Syrian port of Tartus.