Inauguration of the "Ufa" in Saint Petersburg © in November 2022 Admiralty Shipyards Press Office/Imago
Russia is increasing its underwater operations. The newest submarines are considered the quietest in the world and are nicknamed "black holes".
Moscow – Russia under Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin wants to strengthen its Pacific fleet because there is an increasing "confrontation between great powers" such as the United States and China in the region. It is a model of Project 636, a Russian class of diesel-electric fighter submarines. They are considered the quietest in the world and are therefore nicknamed "black holes".
This was reported by the Russian daily Izvestia and titled the report "Calm for the Pacific". The submarine, christened "Ufa", was handed over to the Russian fleet in November 2022 (see photo above) and, according to Izvestia, is still in the Baltic Sea. The transition to the Russian Pacific Fleet is planned for the fall, the portal wrote, citing unnamed sources from the Russian military.
Submarines as "black holes" - this is what Putin's "Ufa" can do
The Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is involved in the Ukraine war, is also said to have "black hole" submarines. As the Russian state news agency Tass reported in June 2022, they can launch cruise missiles - such as the Kalibr missiles, which Russia often uses to attack Ukrainian targets. In addition, they can destroy underwater targets and are intended for patrols and reconnaissance.
"Such boats were used to monitor the straits in the Kuril archipelago in order to prevent the penetration of nuclear submarines of a potential enemy, which could pose a threat to our missile carriers," military expert Vasily Kashin told Izvestia.
According to Tass, the "Ufa" is the fourth submarine in the series. In April, the "Mozhaisk" was added. The sixth and supposedly last ship called "Yakutsk" is to be handed over to the Russian Navy in the current year.
Russia's submarine fleet worries Western experts
Experts consider Moscow's submarines to be a formidable fleet that poses a greater threat to NATO countries than Russia's surface ships, the US portal Newsweek wrote on the subject. Apparently, Russia currently has around 21 diesel-electric attack submarines, according to figures from the NGO Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
It has been known for some time that Russia is expanding its navy. Russia's stockpile of nuclear submarines is expected to increase over the next two years, Tass reported in April. The first "nuclear-powered submarines" could be available as early as the end of 2024, the report said. (frs)