Russia has launched the latest nuclear submarine in its fleet, designed to carry the Poseidon nuclear drone — also known in the media as the “Doomsday Missile” — said to have the ability to “wipe entire coastal nations off the map,” according to Russian media reports.
Russian nuclear submarine Khabarovsk/FOTO:X
The Khabarovsk submarine launch ceremony was led by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov in the presence of Navy Commander Admiral Aleksander Moiseyev and other high-ranking naval industry officials. The event took place at the Sevmas Shipyard in Severodvinsk, the largest military shipbuilding complex in Russia.
“Today we mark an important moment – the launch of the Khabarovsk nuclear-powered submarine, built at the prestigious Sevmaş shipyard,” Belousov said in a televised speech on Saturday evening.
According to the TASS news agency, the Russian Minister of Defense emphasized that the submarine, equipped with modern underwater weapons and robotic systems, will allow the Russian Federation to ensure the protection of its maritime borders and defend its national interests in various regions of the world's oceans.
The Khabarovsk submarine was designed by the Rubin Central Naval Design Bureau and is designed to perform naval missions using state-of-the-art underwater technologies, including multifunctional robotic systems, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Kommersant publication recalled that a week ago, Russia conducted a test of the Poseidon underwater drone, equipped with a nuclear propulsion system.
“Poseidon can outspeed modern submarines and torpedoes, operating at great depths and intercontinental distances. Khabarovsk-class submarines are intended to be the main carrier platforms for this weapon,” notes Kommersant.
On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced the successful test of the Poseidon drones, saying they were launched from a “mother” submarine and equipped with a nuclear power plant 100 times smaller than a strategic submarine's reactor.
For his part, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, described the device as a “missile of the Apocalypse”. In an interview with the media, the chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, stated that the weapon is “capable of destroying entire coastal nations.”
