President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues,
Before we start our work, I would like to say – and you know it – that a civilian aircraft has crashed in the Amur Region today claiming dozens of lives. I would like to offer condolences and words of sincere sympathy to the families and friends of the victims in this air crash.
(A moment of silence.)
Friends,
Today, we are going to discuss a range of issues related to the development of the submarine fleet. We will sum up the results achieved in the past years and identify priorities to focus on.
The Navy’s submarine forces play a key role in ensuring Russia’s sovereignty and security, protecting its interests, and they make a considerable contribution to regional and global stability and maintaining strategic parity.
I will repeat what I have said multiple times: We must have a modern well-equipped fleet capable of adequately responding to current and future threats and risks. This is why improving the Navy’s capabilities, including its submarine forces, is among our top priorities.
In the past six years alone, five Borei-A class strategic ballistic missile submarines and four Yasen-M class multiple-purpose submarines joined the Navy. This happened within six years, which translates into two submarines per year, or one and a half, to be exact, which is very good.
Increasing the strategic submarine force is among our priority areas. Naturally, the priority in it is the construction of strategic submarine missile carriers, one of the crucial components of our nuclear “triad” that, I repeat, allows Russia to maintain a balance of forces in the world.
Four more Borei-A class submarines are scheduled to join our marine nuclear forces in the coming years. Two of them are currently under construction. They are the latest-generation strategic submarines carrying Bulava ballistic missiles and other cutting-edge weaponry.
Yasen-M class multi-purpose submarine cruisers form the core of the Navy’s conventional forces strike capability. Currently, the construction of four Yasen-M class multi-purpose nuclear-powered submarine cruisers equipped with cruise missiles is underway at the Sevmash shipyard. Plans include the construction of two more submarines of this class.
Missile carriers of this class are equipped with high-precision weapons and have modern navigation, communications and sonar equipment. The Perm submarine launched in March of this year is the first multi-purpose submarine equipped with the Zirkon hypersonic system. We must by all means continue the serial production of the Yasen-M class submarines.
Next, increasing the capacity of non-nuclear submarines remains an urgent issue. They are equipped with the Kalibr missile system and are on combat duty with all the fleets.
Construction is underway of Project 677 conventional submarines. The flagship Kronstadt submarine entered the Navy in 2024. At least nine submarines of this class are to be built. I ask to report on the progress in the serial production of submarines of this class.
Last year, we approved a comprehensive targeted programme to create a fifth-generation strategic submarine. I would like to hear today how this programme is progressing.
And finally, I would like to discuss promising designs in submarine multifunctional robotic systems.
Apparently, it is this kind of weapons that will largely shape tomorrow’s Navy. This is why the key task is to ensure our leadership in this area.
Let us get down to work.
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