Putin Authorizes Keel-Laying of Seventh Nuclear Icebreaker Stalingrad in St. Petersburg

Overview

• Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev requested permission to install the keel, and President Vladimir Putin granted approval via video link.
• The Stalingrad is the seventh Project 22220 vessel and is being built at the Baltic Shipyard under the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
• Rosatom reported that NSR cargo volume in 2025 is expected to match the 2024 record of 37.9 million tons.
• Voyages along the NSR in the first ten months of 2025 rose 19% year over year, with transit cargo projected at about 3.2 million tons and container transit at a record 400,000 tons.
• The ship is named in honor of the WWII defense of Stalingrad, and a 103-year-old veteran of the battle, Pavel Vinokurov, attended the ceremony.