Russia has ceremonially launched a new nuclear-powered submarine designed to carry the Poseidon underwater drone, a strategic weapon that Russian officials and some media outlets have described in apocalyptic terms. The vessel, named Khabarovsk, was sent down the slipway at the Sevmash shipyards in Severodvinsk during a formal event attended by Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Navy Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, and senior shipbuilding executives. Belousov framed the occasion as a major milestone for Russia’s naval capabilities and national defence.
Built to accommodate advanced underwater ordnance and robotic systems, the Khabarovsk is a product of Rubin, the Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering. Russian defence statements say the submarine’s role is to deploy modern underwater weapons and autonomous systems needed to safeguard maritime borders and to project Russian interests across distant ocean regions. Officials presented the vessel as a platform that will expand operational options for the Russian Navy at sea.
State and business media coverage has focused particular attention on the Poseidon drone that the submarine will carry. Russian outlets reported recent trials of the Poseidon, describing it as a nuclear-powered unmanned torpedo with long-range endurance and deep-diving capability. Commentators have highlighted claims that the drone can travel at speeds greater than conventional submarines and modern torpedoes, operate at great depths, and traverse intercontinental distances when launched from a mother-submarine.
President Vladimir Putin recently announced a test of a nuclear-powered Poseidon, saying the system was successfully launched from a carrying submarine and noting that its compact nuclear reactor is far smaller than the reactors used on strategic ballistic-missile submarines. Senior security officials, including Dmitry Medvedev, have used stark language to characterise the weapon, while members of the Duma’s defence committee have warned that its destructive potential could threaten coastal regions. Russian commentary has suggested the forthcoming Khabarovsk-class boats will serve as principal platforms for deploying this novel undersea capability.
International reaction to both the submarine launch and Poseidon tests has ranged from strategic concern to alarm in defence circles, given the unconventional propulsion and claimed operational profile of the drone. Within Russia, officials describe the new submarine and its payload as important additions to the country’s naval deterrent and as instruments for protecting maritime approaches and national interests far from home waters.
