Russia Reinforces Pacific Naval Power with Deployment of New Kilo-Class Submarine Yakutsk.

On June 11, 2025, the Russian Navy officially inducted the Yakutsk submarine, the final unit of Project 636.3, into the Pacific Fleet, capping the construction of its Improved Kilo-class series by Admiralty Shipyards. This milestone not only boosts Russia’s undersea strike capabilities but underscores the enduring strategic value Moscow places on submarine warfare. Amid growing maritime competition in the Pacific, this deployment reinforces the Kremlin’s resolve to maintain naval depth, even after facing substantial setbacks from Ukrainian operations.
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The Yakutsk submarine serves as proof that submarines, particularly those capable of launching cruise missiles, remain central to Russia’s naval doctrine (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)

The Yakutsk is the sixth Project 636.3 submarine designated for the Pacific Fleet and the twelfth overall delivered under this modernized Kilo-class program by Admiralty Shipyards. Measuring 73 meters in length with a submerged displacement exceeding 3,000 tons, this diesel-electric vessel features advanced sonar systems, acoustic stealth enhancements, and the ability to launch Kalibr-PL cruise missiles. Operating at depths of up to 300 meters with a range of 45 days at sea, the Yakutsk is tailored for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare and is manned by a 52-person crew.

Commissioned just seven months after its launch, the Yakutsk’s rapid construction and integration reflect the Russian Navy’s streamlined industrial strategy for diesel-electric submarines. This series began in the early 2010s and has seen consistent success, with earlier units such as the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Ufa already fully operational in the Far East. The keel for Yakutsk was laid in August 2021 under the direct auspices of President Vladimir Putin, underscoring its political and military importance. Despite the lack of public information on its exact transfer schedule to the Pacific, its induction is already being framed as a strategic anchor for Russia’s naval posture.

Compared to other Russian submarines like the nuclear-powered Yasen-class or Borei-class, the Improved Kilo-class stands out for its compact design, lower acoustic signature, and cost-effectiveness, particularly in littoral and regional theaters. Against similar diesel-electric submarines globally, such as South Korea’s KSS-III or Germany’s Type 212, the Project 636.3 holds its own with long-endurance, missile capability, and deep-sea performance. In a region where noise management and missile reach can shape engagement outcomes, the Yakutsk reinforces Russia’s deterrent capacity in contested zones like the Sea of Japan and Philippine Sea.

Strategically, Yakutsk's commissioning sends a calculated message across multiple fronts. Geopolitically, it affirms Russia’s long-term commitment to balancing U.S. and allied presence in the Indo-Pacific, where naval influence is increasingly central. Militarily, it compensates for attrition on the Black Sea front, where Ukraine's recent “Spiderweb” drone operations severely damaged multiple naval assets. The shift toward deploying cruise missiles from submarines, hidden from satellite and aerial surveillance, reflects an evolution in Russian naval doctrine toward survivability and surprise-based strikes.

In the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the addition of Yakutsk reinforces Russia's broader strategy of strategic dispersion. The submarine's integration into the Pacific Fleet highlights Moscow's resolve to maintain high-readiness units across all maritime zones, avoiding over-concentration near conflict-prone regions. This is particularly significant following the cumulative losses suffered in the Black Sea, especially the Moskva cruiser and multiple support vessels, prompting a recalibration of Russia’s reliance on visible surface ships in favor of stealthier underwater platforms.

This latest development demonstrates that, despite significant naval losses in Ukraine due to increasingly effective Ukrainian drone warfare, Russia remains deeply invested in undersea warfare capabilities. The Yakutsk serves as proof that submarines, particularly those capable of launching cruise missiles, remain central to Russia’s naval doctrine. It also reflects a preference for retaining strike capacity that is both elusive and mobile, compensating for vulnerabilities exposed by recent Ukrainian operations.

Russia's commissioning of the Yakutsk is more than the closing of a shipbuilding chapter, it is a symbol of strategic continuity amid battlefield volatility. While the war in Ukraine has redefined the vulnerability of surface ships, Yakutsk reaffirms Moscow's commitment to undersea dominance and serves as a quiet, mobile vector of long-range deterrence in the Pacific. As global tensions recalibrate naval priorities, Russia is signaling that its submarines are far from submerged relics, they are instruments of power projection adapted for modern conflict.