Ballistic missile submarine finds protection in St.Petersburg City chamber
The Knyaz Vladimir is based in the Kola Peninsula and can carry up to 16 Bulava ballistic missiles. The strategic sub is now officially under the patronage of legislators from St.Petersburg.
Representatives of the St.Petersburg City Legislative Assembly on the 13th of June met with leaders of the Northern Fleet to sign a cooperation agreement over the four-year old nuclear submarine.
The agreement includes various support to the submarine crew. It was signed during city assembly chairman Aleksandr Belsky’s visit to Severomorsk, the Northern Fleet headquarter city, on the 13th of June.
“Today, like never before, it is important with a firm connection between the Russian Army and Fleet and the people. Our warriors, especially the ones that are in battle service, must feel the constant support from people, the ones that they are protecting,” Belsky says in a comment on social media VK.
“This is the reason why it was decided to conclude a cooperation agreement between the Legislative Assembly of St.Petersburg and the nuclear submarine Knyaz Vladimir,” he explains.
“I believe that the Knyaz Vladimir from this day on will be a kind of ambassador for the Northern Capital [St.Petersburg] in northern waters,” he added.
Aleksandr Belsky is a frequent participant in so-called patriotic events and has visited occupied Ukrainian territories.
“At the moment, our Russian servicemen are courageously fighting in the Kharkov direction and liberate one after another village. […] Victory is near,” he said during a visit to the occupied Luhansk and Donetsk regions in May this year.
The K-549 Knyaz Vladimir was commissioned in year 2020 after eight years of construction. It was the first upgraded Borei-A (Project 955A) vessel to enter service in the Russian Navy. The Sevmash naval construction yard in Severodvinsk reportedly had major technical challenges in the construction phase and the completion of the vessel was repeatedly delayed.
The Borey-class submarine is 170 meter long and has a crew of about 130 men. It is based in Gadzhievo, the nuclear submarine base located north of the Murmansk City.