--- title: "Russia’s New Nuclear Torpedo-Carrying Submarine Has Been Launched" description: "Russia has launched the first of its new Project 08951 class of nuclear-powered submarines, named *Khabarovsk*, which is intended to be armed with the [Poseidon]() nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped, ultra-long-endurance torpedo. At this stage, details of the new submarine remain scarce, but…" date: "2025-11-03" modified: "2025-11-03" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" url: "https://www.twz.com/nuclear/russias-new-nuclear-torpedo-carrying-submarine-has-been-launched" categories: - "Navies" - "Nuclear" - "Nuclear Guided Missile Submarines (SSGNs)" - "Nuclear Propulsion" - "Russian Navy" - "Sea" - "Submarines" --- # Russia’s New Nuclear Torpedo-Carrying Submarine Has Been Launched ![Russia has launched the first of its new Project 08951 class of nuclear-powered submarine, named Khabarovsk, which is intended to be armed with the Poseidon nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped, ultra-long-endurance torpedo. At this stage, details of the new submarine remain scarce, but its completion, though long delayed, reflects the continued priority Moscow is assigning to strategic weapons systems, including novel ones without direct comparison.]() *Sevmash/VKontakte* Russia has launched the first of its new Project 08951 class of nuclear-powered submarines, named *Khabarovsk*, which is intended to be armed with the [Poseidon]() nuclear-powered, nuclear-tipped, ultra-long-endurance torpedo. At this stage, details of the new submarine remain scarce, but its completion, though long delayed, reflects the continued priority Moscow is assigning to [strategic weapons systems](), including [novel ones without direct comparison](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sejUBSfYOEs The *Khabarovsk* was launched in Severodvinsk in Russia’s Arctic North over the weekend, in a ceremony attended by Russian Minister of Defense Andrei Belousov, as well as the commander of the Russian Navy, Adm. Alexander Moiseev, and the heads of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Sevmash shipyard. Imagery released from the event primarily shows the rear part of the submarine, still out of the water, in the construction hall. ![]() *Russian Navy commander Adm. Alexander Moiseev smashes the traditional bottle of champagne against the hull of the submarine. *Sevmash/VKontakte** https://twitter.com/Topol\_MSS27/status/1985304992152989845 The *Khabarovsk* is described by the Russian Ministry of Defense as a “nuclear-powered missile cruiser,” a broad category that Russia usually applies to nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). However, there is no indication that the new boat will carry ballistic missiles, with the primary armament of Poseidon torpedoes instead likely to be [supplemented]() by land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles and traditional torpedoes. The Russian military also says the submarine will be equipped with unspecified robotic systems. The submarine was designed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering and is reported to be based on the hull of the *Borei* class SSBN. This should reduce the program costs and make it stealthier than many other Russian submarines. The *Khabarovsk* has a similar-looking stern section to the *Borei* class, including the pump-jet propulsor, which was partly covered to obscure any details. ![]() ***Khabarovsk** rear view.* The end result, however, is significantly smaller, since the ballistic missile section is removed. The *Khabarovsk* reportedly has a surfaced displacement of around 10,000 tons, compared to close to 15,000 tons for the [*Borei* class](). The Project 08951 is thought to have a length of around 370 feet, while the *Borei* class is almost 560 feet long. ![]() *The Russian Navy *Borei* class SSBN *Alexander Nevsky* at the Rybachiy submarine base in Kamchatka. *Russian Ministry of Defense** Most notable, however, is the fact that the Project 08951 class has been designed around the Poseidon torpedo from the outset. It is understood to be able to carry six examples of these weapons, each of which is around 66 feet long, approximately six feet in diameter, and weighs 110 tons. Last week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that the country had, for the first time, conducted the first long-range test of a Poseidon torpedo from a submarine, as you can read about [here](). https://twitter.com/Archer83Able/status/1983542867961565540?ref\_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1983542867961565540%7Ctwgr%5Ef18f66fae39cf7bd1c9e33e29d9dab3ced830f83%7Ctwcon%5Es1\_c10&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fsea%2Fpowered-test-of-poseidon-nuclear-torpedo-putin-claims “For the first time, we managed not only to launch it with a launch engine from a carrier submarine, but also to launch the nuclear power unit on which this device passed a certain amount of time,” the Russian president claimed. The *Khabarovsk* is the second Poseidon-capable submarine that we know of, after the [Project 09852 *Belgorod*](), which [entered service]() with the Russian Navy in 2022. However, this boat is a conversion of an existing *[Oscar II]()* class nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine (SSGN). Once heavily reworked, it added the capacity to carry six Poseidon torpedoes but is also expected to fulfill other roles. ![]() *The *Belgorod* undergoing sea trials. This was reportedly the first submarine to receive the Poseidon torpedo. *Uncredited** Russia has described the *Belgorod* as a “research” vessel able to conduct “diverse scientific expeditions and rescue operations in the most remote areas of the world ocean.” In fact, it’s considered to service more [as a ‘mother ship’]() that can also deploy a variety of deep-sea drones, a deep-diving [nuclear-powered minisub](), and a submersible nuclear powerplant to power an undersea sensor network. ![]() *A look at the rear of *Belgorod* during its launch ceremony makes an interesting comparison to that of the *Khabarovsk*. *TASS** https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1984952205649023358 The Russian Ministry of Defense says the *Khabarovsk* “is capable of effectively defending Russia’s maritime borders and ensuring the security of its interests in the world’s oceans.” It would appear, however, that carrying the Poseidon torpedo is its primary purpose. The Poseidon is a unique weapon that we have described in the past: *“It is assumed that the primary mission of the Poseidon is to strike coastal installations with little to no warning. There have been various reports that it’s armed with an especially ‘dirty’ warhead, which would ensure not only the usual thermonuclear destruction but also spread radioactive contamination over a wide area. There have also been [accounts]() suggesting that it could potentially be detonated further out to sea to create a kind of radioactive tsunami that could bring even more destruction and contamination to a wider coastal area, although the accuracy of these reports is debatable.”* *“…with its nuclear propulsion, the weapon should have the ability to cruise around the oceans for extremely long periods before unleashing a surprise attack. This is especially concerning, since it would make it difficult to defend against. Like the Burevestnik \[ground-launched nuclear-powered cruise missile\], if perfected, it would provide Russia with a strategic nuclear option that avoids existing missile defense systems.”* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T\_7hWSv689Q It appears that Russia is seeking to deploy Poseidon as a new type of [second-strike capability](). This capability means that even if a surprise nuclear barrage were to knock out Russia’s nuclear weapons capability, it still has the ability to make the attacker pay dearly via a retaliatory nuclear attack. Second-strike is considered the pinnacle of nuclear deterrent strategies and, in a Russian context, traditionally relies heavily on SSBNs. A more versatile second-strike capability could be more important once the United States fields its planned [Golden Dome]() missile defense system. U.S. President Donald Trump, the prime architect of Golden Dome, has meanwhile responded to recent Russian tests of the Burevestnik and Poseidon systems. Following on from Putin’s bellicose comments on the Burevestnik test, [Trump said](): “I don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for Putin to be saying,” reminding the Russian leader that the priority was to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. The U.S. leader then announced that the [Department of War]() is to start testing nuclear weapons “immediately,” though [the implications of this remain unclear](). https://twitter.com/TrumpTruthOnX/status/1983708485499154657?ref\_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1983708485499154657%7Ctwgr%5Eec7fbe8fe72655bf3805ce66af03175a733c0736%7Ctwcon%5Es1\_c10&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fnuclear%2Fexperts-explain-how-reviving-nuclear-weapons-tests-would-actually-happen Regardless of how Poseidon might actually be used in an operational scenario, the addition to the Russian fleet of an entirely new category of submarine provides potential adversaries with a notable headache. Already, much of NATO’s anti-submarine warfare effort goes into tracking and potentially defeating Russian SSBNs and SSGNs, as well as the hunter-killer submarines that are tasked, among other things, with protecting them. With its strategic nuclear weapons, the Project 08951 class could potentially emerge as another leg of Russia’s seaborne nuclear deterrent, but one that is able to launch its weapons from unexpected vectors and at huge distances from potential targets. In the past, analysts have suggested that Poseidon could have a range of 6,200 miles. Once launched, it is also very difficult to defeat. There have even been [some claims]() that [it can reach a speed]() of up to 100 knots, although this is probably an exaggeration. Even at much reduced speeds, the Poseidon would be hard to intercept and may demand new kinds of methods and technologies to counter it. The result, depending on how quickly the *Khabarovsk* enters operational service and how many other boats in this class will be completed, could have a significant disruptive effect on the way that NATO goes about anti-submarine warfare. https://twitter.com/CovertShores/status/1479175754852220931 Reports suggest that two or three more Project 08951 class boats are planned, which would provide enough hulls to be split between the Northern and Pacific fleets. However, the program has hardly been trouble-free. Work on the *Khabarovsk* appears to have begun [as early as 2014](), before Poseidon was publicly [revealed during an address in 2018](). https://twitter.com/Aviation\_Intel/status/969312367036178432?ref\_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E969312367036178432%7Ctwgr%5Ef18f66fae39cf7bd1c9e33e29d9dab3ced830f83%7Ctwcon%5Es1\_c10&ref\_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twz.com%2Fsea%2Fpowered-test-of-poseidon-nuclear-torpedo-putin-claims The *Khabarovsk* was originally expected to be launched in mid-2020. Exactly what kinds of problems were encountered is unclear. No doubt, Russia’s war in Ukraine slowed things down, and the related sanctions have had a particular effect on Russia’s ability to produce high-technology weapons systems. There is also the fact that, with the Russian Navy’s submarine arm currently being a focus of modernization efforts, Project 08951 will have faced competition from other high-priority shipbuilding efforts, including new-generation attack submarines, as well as the aforementioned *Borei* class SSBNs. Perhaps the plan to modify the *Borei* class hull to serve as the basis for the Project 08951 class was also not totally successful, with reports that the next Poseidon-carrier, likely to be named *Ulyanovsk*, will instead use a modified *Yasen* class nuclear-powered attack submarine hull. As it stands, however, Russia is an important step closer to fielding its first submarine purpose-designed to carry the Poseidon nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed torpedo. As such, this is a program that will be very interesting to see develop over the coming years and one that the Russian Navy’s key adversaries will be watching very closely, as this weapon moves toward operational capability. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()