Russia is Rapidly Expanding its Nuclear Submarine Fleet

A new "division" of submarines carrying nuclear-capable "super-torpedoes" will be created as early as 2024, according to Russian state media.

Special-purpose submarines, carrying the Poseidon "super-torpedo," will join Russia's Pacific Fleet in the far eastern Kamchatka peninsula between the end of next year and the start of 2025, state news agency Tass reported on Monday.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian defense ministry for comment via email.

Russia has announced a rapid expansion of its submarine fleet in recent months, with increases to Moscow's nuclear submarine fleet causing alarm in NATO member states.

In mid-January, Russia said it had produced its first batch of Poseidon nuclear-capable "super torpedoes," destined for use on the Belgorod nuclear submarine. Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled the Poseidon "super-torpedoes" back in 2018.

At the time, the Kremlin leader said the torpedoes, sometimes referred to as "Status-6" or "Kanyon," would take the form of a strategic nuclear weapon with its own power source.

Putin added: "There is no weapon that can counter them in the world today."

It is thought that the Poseidon may be around 20 meters in length, with a range of at least 10,000 kilometers, or around 6,200 miles, one expert told Euronews Next.

On March 27, Russian state media reported that the infrastructure needed to accommodate Poseidon-armed special-purpose submarines in Kamchatka, a 777-mile-long peninsula in the Russian Far East, would be finished by the start of 2024. Russian state media broadcasts have speculated about using Poseidon torpedoes to attack NATO nations supporting Kyiv in Russia's war in Ukraine.

In November, 2022, CNN reported that the U.S. had observed the Russian navy preparing for a potential test of new nuclear-powered torpedoes in the Arctic Sea. Among the naval vessels involved was the Belgorod, the outlet reported, although it was not reported that a test had been carried out.

Russia's submarines are "the critical challenge that the United States faces," the head of the Russia Maritime Studies Institute, Michael Petersen, previously told Newsweek.

He added that Russian submarine deployment has mirrored the operations of Soviet submarines during the Cold War, and that there had been "indications" of Russian nuclear-powered submarines deploying off the U.S. coast and in the Mediterranean.

Russia's submarine force has seen significant modernization, and comprises around 58 submarines, according to the non-profit organization, Nuclear Threat Initiative.

It is one of the largest submarine fleets in the world, although the U.S. is reported to have a total of 64 submarines in its fleet, all of which are nuclear-powered.