Putin in Severodvinsk as latest nuke missile submarine is handed over to the Northern Fleet
Vladimir Putin attended the flag raising ceremony for the Knyaz Pozharsky (K-555), a Borei-A class strategic submarine.
There will be no big celebrations for Navy Day on Sunday, as the main warship parade in St. Petersburg is cancelled for security reasons. Putin, though, decided to travel north ahead of Navy Day to show strength.
Putin landed at the airport in Arkhangelsk and drove directly to Severodvinsk, the shipyard town on the shores to the White Sea. It is the Kremlin that gave notice about the Russian leader's participation in the flag raising ceremony.
"The priority here is first of all the construction of strategic missile submarines – one of the most important components of our nuclear “triad”, which, I repeat, allows Russia to maintain the balance of power in the world," Putin said, according to the transcript from his meeting in Severodvinsk.
The Knyaz Pozharsky is the eighth in a row of 4th generation ballistic missile subs (SSBNs) and the third to sail for the Northern Fleet.
Putin promised more of the same will come.
Our naval nuclear forces will be replenished with four more Borei-A submarines. Two of them are currently under construction.
The Knyaz Pozharsky was supposed to be handed over to the Navy last year, but both the construction and planned sea trials took longer than expected.
The Knyaz Pozharsky was rolled out of the shiphall at the Sevmash yard in Severodvinsk in early 2024 and unlike previous vessels in its class, this one has not launched a Bulava missile before being handed over to the Navy. Such weapons tests, to prove that a warship is combat ready, are normally a requirement before it leaves the shipyard.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told reporters that Putin also will hold a meeting on the development of the Russian Navy when he is in Severodvinsk.
Severodvinsk is home to the only yard in Russia that builds nuclear-powered submarines, the Sevmash.
The Northern Fleet will, when the Knyaz Pozharsky now starts to sail patrols, significantly strengthens its role in the Kremlin's naval nuclear warfare capabilities.
After the war on Ukraine started in 2014, Russia has given priority to the strengthening the Pacific Fleet over the Northern Fleet. Five of the new Borei-A class vessels have been sent to the the Far East where the submarines more easily can dive into deeper Pacific waters and hide from US sub hunters in case of escalating tensions.
From the homeport Gadzhievo on the Kola Peninsula, the Northern Fleet's ballistic missile carriers will have to sail across the shallow Barents Sea for about 24 hours before they can hide under the sea-ice in the deeper Arctic Ocean. In other words, the Northern Fleet's nuclear deterrence could be more vulnerable than the current Pacific Fleet's capacities.
The Northern Fleet still have more 3rd generation ballistic missile subs (five Delta-IV) designed during Soviet times than of the newer 4th generation (one Borei- and from today two Borei-A).
