Russia has launched the Khabarovsk nuclear submarine in Severodvinsk, a vessel designed to carry the Poseidon nuclear drone. Defense Minister Andrei Belousov observed the launch of the heavy nuclear-powered cruiser, which arrived five years behind its original June 2020 schedule.
The 10,000-ton submarine will carry the Poseidon drone, a weapon system powered by its own nuclear reactor. The torpedo measures 20 meters long, weighs 100 tons, and has a reported range of up to 6,200 miles at speeds of 115 miles per hour.
Belousov stated at the launch ceremony: «The heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Khabarovsk is being launched from the renowned Sevmash shipyard. Carrying underwater weapons and robotic systems, it will enable us to successfully secure Russia's maritime borders and protect its national interests in various parts of the world's oceans.»
Putin's Claims
President Vladimir Putin has previously boasted about the weapon's capabilities. He stated: «The power of the Poseidon far exceeds that of our most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat [aka Satan-2]. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the world.»
Putin also claimed: «There are no means of intercepting it.» He announced successful testing of the drone, saying: «For the first time, we managed not only to launch it from a carrier submarine.»
Russian propaganda has repeatedly claimed the weapon could devastate Western coastlines with radioactive seawater swells.
Expert Assessment
Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, wrote in Foreign Policy: «It's downright terrifying. We're talking about a massive, megaton-sized thermonuclear weapon designed to produce significant, long-lasting radiation effects.»
The submarine's keel was laid down in 2014, with Putin officially announcing the Poseidon program in 2018. The launch delays were attributed to the pandemic, technical difficulties, and resources diverted to the war in Ukraine. The project's cost is estimated at over £1 billion.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
