Russian subs to sail more under Arctic sea-ice

The nuclear submarine crews will undergo both theoretical and practical training and special attention will be given to under-ice operations of the strategic subs, the Northern Fleet informs.

According to the fleet, valuable under-ice training was conducted in 2023 when the Tula, a Delta IV nuclear sub, for the first time made a launch from a new location in the Laptev Sea.

The exercise “confirms the capacity of the strategic nuclear naval forces to resolve problems from any part of the Arctic,” a statement reads.

The Russian Navy has conducted comprehensive under-ice Arctic operations for decades. But the war in Ukraine and Moscow’s increasingly hostile approach to its neighbors have made the activities more aggressive.

The Northern Fleet is based in Severomorsk, Kola Peninsula, and is the most powerful unit in Russia’s Navy. It includes a significant number of nuclear submarines, among them two strategic subs of the Borei class.

Another three Borei-class vessels are under construction, the first one due to be handed over to the Northern Fleet in late 2024.

The Russian Pacific Fleet today includes five strategic Borei subs.

In August 2023, Russia’s newest Borei-class sub, the Generalissimo Suvorov, set out from the Kola Peninsula and sailed through Arctic waters to the far eastern Vilyuchinsk base as part of its transfer to the Pacific Fleet. Major parts of the voyage was made under the Arctic sea-ice.

The Borei class vessels can carry up to 16 ballistic Bulava ballistic missiles.