Russia’s new nuclear submarine Krasnoyarsk during the launching ceremony hosted by President Vladimir Putin at the Arctic port of Severodvinsk on December 11, 2023. Photo: AFP
According to Kyiv Post, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday promised to strengthen Russia’s “military-naval power” when he attended the launching ceremony of two nuclear submarines in the country’s Far North.
The Russian leader attended the flag-raising ceremony to unveil two new nuclear submarines “Krasnoyarsk” and “Emperor Alexander III” built over the past six years in Severodvinsk on the White Sea.
“With such ships and weapons, Russia will feel safe,” Putin told navy officials while visiting one of the submarines in the icy Arctic waters.
Last week, Putin said he would run for re-election in 2024, nearly two years after launching a military campaign in Ukraine.
He said the submarines would “strengthen the combat readiness of the Russian navy, our naval power in the Arctic, the Middle East, the Black Sea, the Baltic and the Caspian”.
The photo released by Sputnik news agency shows Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving at the Arctic port of Severodvinsk on December 11. (Photo Kyiv Post)
In addition to the two new submarines that will join the Pacific fleet, Russia is building eight more nuclear submarines.
As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, Russia has shifted its economy to focus primarily on military production.
Russian lawmakers in October backed a record increase in military spending, accounting for nearly a third of total spending by 2024. The Kremlin leader vowed to “continue to strengthen naval power- Russian military”.
The fact that Russia has two more nuclear submarines to strengthen the country’s Navy in the context of the still-raging conflict between Russia and Ukraine is said to definitely make Kiev worried because of the aid provided. Supporting the country with cash and weapons from the United States – Ukraine’s main donor – is stalling.
