Severodvinsk, August 28 — Russia’s newest nuclear‑armed submarine, the Khabarovsk, slipped out of Severodvinsk Port this week to begin trials in the White Sea, a waterway some 140 miles from the Finnish border. At over 10,000 tons and 135 metres long, the vessel is billed as a “behemoth” capable of launching six two‑megaton Poseidon torpedoes that Moscow claims could drown Britain in a radioactive tsunami.
The mechanics here are stark: each Poseidon torpedo stretches 20 metres, measures two metres in diameter and weighs 110 tonnes, and is propelled by its own nuclear reactor. Travelling at roughly 70 knots and cruising about 1,000 metres below the surface, the weapons are designed to self‑detonate before impact, using the ensuing two‑megaton blast to generate a wave of radioactive water. The blast itself is not the primary danger; the subsequent tsunami would, according to Russian statements, render land within two hundred miles uninhabitable for generations.
While the destructive potential is clear, the claim that the torpedoes are “uninterceptable” rests on the fact that they move underwater, beyond the reach of traditional air‑defence systems. Dr Richard Connolly of the Royal United Services Institute called the Poseidon a “boutique capability” designed for the “very worst of scenarios”, a sober assessment that undercuts Kremlin hype.
Yet state TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov went further, urging the Kremlin to “give the British three days to learn to breathe underwater, then hit them with Poseidon”. The Russian Embassy in the UK echoed the threat, warning that greater British support for Ukraine would “raise the price it will pay”. Putin himself declared there are “no ways to intercept” the system, reinforcing the narrative of an unstoppable weapon. On closer reading, the financial trail raises questions.
In the summer of 2012 Moscow awarded a billion‑dollar contract to the 125‑year‑old Rubin Design Bureau, which began construction in 2014 with a target sea‑worthiness by 2020. Delays—attributed to the pandemic and sanctions after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine—pushed the submarine’s emergence from its Severodvinsk hangar to November last year, roughly 600 miles north of St Petersburg.
The Khabarovsk now carries a crew of 100 and will be stress‑tested on mooring, propulsion, steering, diving, sonar and computing systems. Its stated range of around 6,200 miles, top speed of 32 knots and operational depth of several metres allow it to stay at sea for up to 120 days, while a single‑shaft pump‑jet propulsion system reduces cavitation noise, making detection harder. The catch is that Khabarovsk is not alone; the RFS Belgorod can launch three Poseidon torpedoes, half the payload of the new sub.
Designed on the Borei‑A ballistic‑missile platform but re‑engineered with a widened bow, Khabarovsk is the first of a proposed trio of special‑purpose vessels that could be fielded against the West. Its eventual assignment to the Pacific Fleet follows a recent series of missile tests from a disputed archipelago north of Japan, suggesting a broader strategic push to showcase new capabilities.
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