Breaking News: Russian Navy Expands Nuclear Submarine Fleet As Knyaz Pozharsky Borei-A Enters Service.

On July 24, 2025, the Russian Navy formally inducted the Knyaz Pozharsky, the newest Project 955A Borei-A class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, into active service. The flag-raising ceremony, attended by President Vladimir Putin, marked a significant milestone in Russia’s strategic naval modernization. The Knyaz Pozharsky is the seventh unit in the Borei series and represents the pinnacle of Russian submarine design for nuclear deterrence, offering superior stealth, survivability, and missile capacity compared to its predecessors.
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Knyaz Pozharsky, the newest Project 955A Borei-A class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, enters active service with the Russian Navy. (Picture source: Paluba Media)

The Project 955A Borei-A class submarines are a refined evolution of the original Borei-class, featuring advanced sonar systems, improved hull hydrodynamics, and quieter propulsion systems to enhance operational stealth. Each vessel is armed with 16 RSM-56 Bulava submarine-launched ballistic missiles, each capable of carrying up to six independently targetable nuclear warheads. In addition to its strategic missile arsenal, the Borei class is fitted with either eight or six 533-millimeter torpedo tubes, depending on the variant, and is capable of launching a wide range of heavyweight torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. For underwater combat and self-defense, the submarines are equipped with the REPS-324 Shlagbaum system, six external 533-millimeter special-purpose tubes capable of launching anti-torpedo countermeasures. The boats can also launch RPK-2 Viyuga missiles, providing anti-submarine and anti-ship strike capabilities. This comprehensive armament suite ensures that Borei-class submarines are not only powerful strategic deterrents but also versatile combat platforms in blue-water operations.

Designed to ensure Russia's second-strike capability, these submarines form the backbone of the country’s naval nuclear triad. The Knyaz Pozharsky is expected to operate under the Northern Fleet, patrolling the Arctic and Atlantic regions in line with Russia’s strategic maritime doctrine.

During the commissioning, President Putin announced that six additional nuclear submarines will be commissioned by 2030. These vessels will be outfitted with the Poseidon nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicles, a strategic weapon system that redefines naval deterrence. First revealed by the Russian Navy in 2015 and known to NATO as Kanyon or Status-6, the Poseidon torpedo is one of the most ambitious and controversial developments in underwater warfare. Tested for the first time in November 2016, Poseidon is an intercontinental-range nuclear autonomous torpedo powered by a miniature nuclear reactor.

With a reported top speed of 100 knots (approximately 185 km/h), a range of around 10,000 kilometers, and an operational depth of up to 1,000 meters, Poseidon is designed to bypass traditional anti-submarine defenses. Its stealth is enhanced by acoustic and thermal suppression technologies, allowing it to penetrate coastal defenses undetected. Measuring up to two meters in diameter, the torpedo can carry a nuclear payload estimated to yield several megatons, with unconfirmed reports suggesting it may reach up to 100 megatons—twice the explosive yield of the Tsar Bomba, the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated.

Presidential aide and chairman of the Russian Maritime Board, Nikolai Patrushev, emphasized that the ongoing deployment of nuclear-capable submarines and the integration of Poseidon weapons reinforce Russia’s strategic nuclear shield. He confirmed that an updated naval shipbuilding strategy covering the 2025–2050 timeframe is in preparation and will be submitted to President Putin for approval in September. This program is expected to define the Russian Navy's long-term trajectory, cementing its focus on strategic deterrence, advanced underwater capabilities, and sustained maritime dominance in key global regions.

As of mid-2025, the Russian Navy operates a total of 79 submarines, of which 54 are nuclear-powered. This force includes 14 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, comprising 8 Borei-class and 6 older Delta IV and III-class units. Russia also fields 13 nuclear-powered guided missile submarines, including 6 Oscar II-class and 7 Yasen-class platforms. The Navy maintains 16 nuclear-powered attack submarines, split between 12 Akula-class and 4 Sierra-class units. In the specialized category, there are 10 nuclear-powered special mission submarines, used for deep-sea operations and intelligence tasks, and 1 dedicated special-purpose submarine.

The conventional (non-nuclear) attack submarine force consists of 25 diesel-electric submarines, including Kilo and Improved Kilo-class vessels, as well as the more recent Lada-class submarines. This mix of nuclear and diesel-electric platforms gives Russia a versatile and globally deployable undersea force capable of long-range strategic deterrence, precision strike, and regional sea denial.

In comparison, the United States Navy operates 71 nuclear-powered submarines, including 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, 4 converted Ohio-class guided missile submarines, and approximately 53 fast-attack submarines from the Virginia, Seawolf, and Los Angeles classes. U.S. strategic submarines are equipped with Trident II D5 missiles, each submarine capable of carrying up to 24 launch tubes and deploying multiple nuclear warheads. The U.S. Navy's submarine fleet maintains a significantly larger sea-based nuclear warhead stockpile, estimated at around 4,032 warheads, compared to Russia’s 1,648 submarine-launched warheads.

While Russia continues to modernize and expand its submarine force, particularly through the Borei-A and Yasen programs and new strategic platforms like Poseidon, the United States retains clear superiority in terms of total nuclear submarine numbers, technological maturity, global basing infrastructure, and operational tempo. Nonetheless, Russia's current trajectory demonstrates a focused commitment to sustaining credible and survivable second-strike capabilities beneath the world's oceans.

This latest expansion of Russia’s strategic submarine fleet signals a renewed emphasis on undersea deterrence as a pillar of national defense policy, particularly in the face of NATO's expanding presence in Eastern Europe and increasing maritime coordination between the United States and its allies. The commissioning of the Knyaz Pozharsky and the integration of Poseidon-armed platforms elevate Russia’s ability to project power globally and complicate Western missile defense planning. The Poseidon torpedo, with its unmatched range, depth, and megaton-level warhead, presents an entirely new class of threat: an autonomous, nuclear-armed, second-strike weapon capable of bypassing conventional missile shields and targeting coastal population centers or carrier strike groups with catastrophic impact.

For Europe, this development reinforces concerns about Russia’s underwater reach, particularly in the North Atlantic, Baltic, and Mediterranean theaters where NATO forces remain vulnerable to unpredictable undersea incursions. For the United States, Poseidon introduces a challenge that existing anti-submarine warfare doctrines are ill-prepared to counter. As Russia continues to modernize and diversify its nuclear submarine capabilities, its ability to deliver a devastating retaliatory strike from beneath the sea becomes more survivable and unpredictable—shifting the strategic balance and reinforcing Moscow’s leverage in both deterrence and diplomacy.