Overview
- Defense Minister Andrei Belousov oversaw the launch at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, with Navy Commander Admiral Aleksandr Moiseev christening the hull.
- Russian officials describe Khabarovsk as the first submarine designed for the Poseidon system, with reports indicating it can carry multiple autonomous nuclear-capable torpedoes.
- President Vladimir Putin recently claimed a successful Poseidon trial that included activating its nuclear power unit and asserted the drone is hard to intercept and designed for devastating coastal strikes.
- The program, which laid the keel in 2014 and missed an expected 2020 launch, advances to sea trials while most reactor and performance details remain classified.
- The unveiling comes after Russia touted tests of novel nuclear systems that have prompted global concern, with President Donald Trump saying he has ordered U.S. nuclear testing to resume.