Russia touted its growing nuclear submarine fleet on Saturday amid tensions with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as new submarines are expected to be delivered to the Russian Navy soon.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian defense ministry and NATO via email for comment on Saturday afternoon.
Why It Matters
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, tensions between NATO countries and the Kremlin have continued as NATO leaders have increasingly warned that direct conflict with Moscow is a realistic danger. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior Russian officials have repeatedly threatened nuclear escalation against Kyiv and its Western partners since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Last month, Putin upped Moscow’s nuclear rhetoric after the United States allowed Kyiv to use longer-range ATACMS to strike inside Russia, formalizing changes to his country’s nuclear doctrine that lowers the threshold for atomic weapons use.
Along with the nuclear threat, NATO members such as Germany and the Baltic states have accused Moscow of hybrid attacks and said after the Ukraine war, Moscow could then make a move on countries in the alliance.
What to Know
According to Tass, a Russian state news agency, Sevmash Shipyard CEO Mikhail Budnichenko said Russia’s cutting-edge Project 885M (Yasen-M) nuclear-powered submarine, Arkhangelsk, has successfully completed its trials and is now gearing up for delivery to the Navy.
“Based on the schedules agreed with the Russian Defense Ministry, the Arkhangelsk and Knyaz Pozharsky nuclear-powered submarines completed trials during the summer navigation season,” he said. “The Arkhangelsk submarine was rolled out from the slipway in 2023 and this year, it successfully went through all trial phases. We are now preparing it to be delivered to the Navy,” Budnichenko added.
The announcement came after Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev said on Friday that the Navy would receive the submarine in the near future.
“Soon, the Navy will receive the Arkhangelsk cruiser. The Knyaz Pozharsky nuclear submarine cruiser currently undergoes trials and will also join our submarine forces soon,” he said during the trip to Severodvinsk.
The Project 885 and 885M nuclear-powered submarines, including the Severodvinsk, Kazan, Novosibirsk, and Krasnoyarsk, have already been delivered to the Russian Navy, bolstering the country’s maritime capabilities. Armed with Oniks and Kalibr-PL cruise missiles as their primary strike weapons, these submarines exemplify the cutting edge of Russia’s naval power.
Crew members stand on the Russian Navy’s UFA submarine in Surabaya, Indonesia, on November 7. Russia touted its growing nuclear submarine fleet on Saturday amid tensions with North Atlantic Treaty Organization as new submarines are…
Crew members stand on the Russian Navy’s UFA submarine in Surabaya, Indonesia, on November 7. Russia touted its growing nuclear submarine fleet on Saturday amid tensions with North Atlantic Treaty Organization as new submarines are expected to be delivered to the Russian Navy soon.
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JUNI KRISWANTO/AFP/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Russia’s defense minister Andrei Belousov has warned of a direct conflict between Moscow and NATO within the next decade.
He made the comments at a defense ministry meeting on Monday, “[Preparing for war] has been shown by the decisions made at NATO summit held in July of this year,” said Belousov, adding that Moscow “must be prepared for any development, including a possible military conflict with NATO in Europe in the next decade.”
When asked about Belousov’s comments, the Pentagon told Newsweek in a statement on Tuesday that “the United States condemns irresponsible, escalatory rhetoric.”
U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Javan Rasnake told Newsweek on Tuesday that “the United States condemns irresponsible, escalatory rhetoric. Also, the United States and NATO do not seek a military conflict with Russia.”
Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump on Monday spoke about Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and said, “We’re trying to get the war stopped. It’s a tough one.”
What Happens Next
Located in northwestern Russia, the Sevmash Shipyard is also currently working on five additional submarines under their Project 885M, according to Tass.
Amid the claims and counterclaims about negotiations to end the war, tensions between Moscow and NATO are likely to increase, especially if the alliance’s European members bear more of the brunt of support for Ukraine.
The U.S. and other Western countries have been providing Ukraine with military aid to defend itself against Russia. However, the U.S. is transferring the coordination of Ukrainian military aid to NATO, reportedly due to concerns that support for Kyiv could dry up under the incoming Trump administration.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that the transfer is a “move widely seen as aiming to safeguard the support mechanism against NATO skeptic U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.”
“NATO structures have taken over the coordination of Western military aid to Ukraine,” German newspaper BILD said on its Russian-language Telegram channel, citing an unnamed source, adding that the move relates “to concerns that future US President Donald Trump will limit aid to Kyiv.”