Russia Expands Nuclear Submarine Fleet to Counter NATO in Arctic and Pacific Theaters.

According to information published by the Moscow Times on July 25, 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during a high-level meeting in Severodvinsk that the expansion of Russia’s nuclear-capable submarine fleet is essential to ensuring the country’s sovereignty and maintaining both regional and global stability. The announcement marks a continued strategic focus on reinforcing Russia’s underwater nuclear deterrent capabilities amid rising geopolitical tensions.
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The Borei-A class submarine is a nuclear-powered SSBN armed with 16 Bulava missiles and advanced stealth systems for strategic patrols (Picture source : U.S. DoD).

President Putin emphasized that over the past six years, the Russian Navy has commissioned five Borei-A class strategic missile submarines and four Yasen-M class nuclear-powered multipurpose attack submarines. Looking ahead, the Kremlin confirmed the planned delivery of four additional Borei-class submarines, two of which are already under construction at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, the largest shipbuilding enterprise in Russia. These strategic assets will form the core of Russia’s sea-based nuclear deterrent in the coming decades and play a central role in sustaining the operational credibility of its strategic forces.

Technically, the new Borei-A class (Project 955A) represents the most advanced generation of Russian ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) ever developed. Each submarine measures approximately 170 meters in length, with a beam of 13 meters and a submerged displacement of around 24,000 tons. They are powered by an OK-650V pressurized water nuclear reactor with an auxiliary steam turbine and a single shaft, enabling quiet propulsion and sustained submerged operation for extended patrol missions. The Borei-A is designed with hydrodynamic improvements over its predecessor, including a pump-jet propulsion system, redesigned bow, and a lower acoustic signature achieved through enhanced hull coating, vibration isolation for machinery, and improved propeller design. These advances make it one of the stealthiest SSBNs in Russia’s arsenal and significantly improve its survivability in contested environments.

Armament-wise, each Borei-A submarine is equipped with 16 silo-based vertical launch systems for the RSM-56 Bulava (SS-N-32) submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The Bulava is a three-stage solid-fuel missile with a range estimated between 8,000 and 9,000 kilometers and the capability to carry six to ten MIRVed warheads, each with independent targeting capabilities. In addition to its strategic armament, the Borei-A can carry torpedoes and anti-ship missiles launched from six 533mm forward-facing torpedo tubes, enhancing its self-defense capacity against enemy submarines or surface vessels during patrols. The class is also outfitted with an integrated combat management system, advanced sonar arrays including flank-mounted and towed passive sensors, and satellite navigation linked to the GLONASS constellation for precise undersea positioning.

The new Borei-A submarines significantly enhance the Russian Navy’s ability to maintain a secure second-strike posture, which is central to Moscow's nuclear doctrine. These submarines are capable of launching their missile payloads while submerged, reducing vulnerability to preemptive strikes. Their extremely low noise profile and ability to operate at great depths allow them to conduct stealth patrols in the Arctic Ocean, the North Atlantic, or the Pacific, where detection by enemy ASW platforms remains limited. The Arctic ice cover, in particular, serves as a natural shield, enabling Russia to establish secure bastions for SSBN operations, especially in the Barents Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk, where land-based naval aviation and coastal defenses can offer added protection. This bastion strategy has been a cornerstone of Soviet and now Russian strategic planning, and the Borei-A class ensures that it remains viable even in an era of enhanced Western maritime surveillance.

Additionally, the integration of the Borei-A class into the Northern and Pacific Fleets will relieve the burden on aging Delta-IV class submarines and ensure round-the-clock deterrence patrols, with a reduced risk of compromise. Their automation and reduced crew requirements, around 107 personnel, a relatively small number for an SSBN of this size, enhance operational efficiency and reduce logistical strain during extended deployments. With nuclear propulsion offering essentially unlimited range, these submarines can remain at sea for up to 90 days, maintaining high readiness levels without returning to port.

The strategic imperative behind this naval modernization becomes clearer when examined in the broader context of Russia’s evolving maritime threat perception. Moscow increasingly views NATO naval deployments in the Arctic, Baltic Sea, and North Atlantic as encroaching upon what it considers strategic buffer zones. U.S. and allied forces have intensified submarine and maritime patrol activities in proximity to Russia’s northern and eastern maritime perimeters, while advances in Western anti-submarine warfare capabilities, including P-8A Poseidon aircraft, unmanned underwater vehicles, and SOSUS-style acoustic arrays, have further pressured Russian undersea operations. In response, the Borei-A program is designed not only to evade these surveillance networks but to serve as a counterweight to U.S. Ohio-class SSBNs and the upcoming Columbia-class platforms.

Beyond deterrence, Russia also sees these submarines as tools of geopolitical influence. The Arctic region, rich in untapped natural resources and opening to new maritime routes due to climate change, has become a focal point of great power competition. By maintaining a credible and modern SSBN fleet capable of operating undetected in these waters, Russia ensures that it remains a dominant player in the militarization of the Arctic. Moreover, in the Pacific theater, the deployment of Borei-A boats to the Kamchatka Peninsula’s Rybachy base reinforces Russia’s strategic presence near U.S. naval assets in the Asia-Pacific and strengthens its ability to project power along the Northern Sea Route.

In conclusion, the continued investment in Borei-A class submarines represents more than a technical upgrade to Russia’s strategic forces. It is a decisive move to sustain naval nuclear parity, reinforce secure second-strike capabilities, and assert Moscow’s status as a global maritime power. As great power competition expands beneath the waves, these submarines will serve not only as instruments of deterrence but as symbols of Russia’s determination to shape the balance of power across the world’s oceans.