MOSCOW, July 25. /TASS/. Russia should possess a powerful Navy and its naval forces are entering a new stage of development now, Kremlin Aide Nikolay Patrushev said in an interview with the Rossiyskaya Gazeta government daily on Thursday.

"A new stage of the development of the [Russian] Navy is actually beginning," Patrushev said, noting that the state needed to ensure the Navy’s quality that would allow outpacing technical capabilities of other maritime countries.

"As a great maritime power, Russia should possess a powerful Navy comprising ships designed to accomplish missions in close-in and distant maritime and oceanic areas and have a developed system of bases and logistics support," the Kremlin aide stressed.

At a meeting with shipbuilders, Russian President Vladimir Putin set large-scale tasks to the shipbuilding industry envisaging serial construction of ships and emphasized the need to ensure the industry’s timely financing, Patrushev said.

In addition, Putin outlined the directions of creating advanced armaments, military and special hardware, in particular, robotized maritime systems and technologies countering seaborne drones, he said.

Some of the Russian president’s instructions related to strengthening the shipbuilding industry’s HR potential, in particular, by revising the level of remuneration for the basic workforce, engineers and other staff, the Kremlin aide pointed out.

The head of state paid special attention to Russian science, which should offer innovative methods of improving the Navy and boosting R&D and experimental design work in the Navy’s interests, Patrushev said.

"It is important to achieve technological independence in the production of ship equipment and electronic components," the Russian presidential aide said.