Ukraine's intel uncovers secrets of Russia’s new nuclear submarine

The Knyaz Pozharsky, part of the Borei-A (Project 955A) class, is a key component of Russia’s so-called nuclear triad. It is permanently based in Gadzhiyevo, Murmansk Oblast. The submarine is equipped with 16 launch silos for R-30 Bulava-30 intercontinental ballistic missiles, each capable of carrying up to 10 warheads.

The vessel joined the 31st Submarine Division of Russia’s Northern Fleet on July 24, 2025, with Putin attending the flag-raising ceremony.

The Ukrainian military intelligence obtained:

• Detailed crew rosters, including positions, qualifications, and physical fitness levels;
• Combat instructions for the crew;
• The submarine’s combat layout, systems for ensuring survivability, and crew organizational structure;
• Crew assignments to cabins and quarters, protocols for transferring wounded personnel and cargo, towing procedures, and other operational instructions;
• Engineering documentation, including a report on a deformed radio buoy, identifying commission members and involved enterprises.

Additionally, intelligence secured an excerpt from the submarine’s schedule book, a comprehensive document regulating its daily combat and routine operations.

“The information obtained by our intelligence reveals the features and technical limitations not only of the Knyaz Pozharsky but also of other Project 955A submarines, which are critical to sustaining the imperial myth of the aggressor state, Russia,” Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence stated.