Russian Atomic Submarines’ ‘Most Devastating Weapon’ in Position—Navy Chief

The head of Russia’s navy confirmed that its most powerful weapons—nuclear-tipped cruise missiles—are online and on high alert.

Acting Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Aleksandr Moiseyev presided over a ceremony Wednesday at the headquarters of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s nuclear submarines in Vilyuchinsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

During the event, Moiseyev awarded the 25th Submarine Division the Order of Nakhimov, as directed by President Vladimir Putin in May, in recognition of their importance to the country’s defense, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Thursday.

In his remarks, the admiral said that for a half-century, the division has utilized “the most complex systems created by mankind,” including the “most powerful and devastating weapons” safeguarding Russia’s security. He further boasted of the readiness to deploy the weapons, emphasizing the “extremely high level” of preparedness, according to RIA Novosti.

The Order of Nakhimov, established by the Soviet Union during World War II, honors exceptional naval leadership and courage.

The ceremony took place at Kamchatka’s submarine base, where two nuclear-powered attack subs were transferred this week. They completed the 4,000-mile journey under Arctic ice from Russia’s Northern Fleet base in Murmansk.

One of the boats, the Imperator Aleksandr III, is a 24,000-ton Borei-class submarine armed with up to 16 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, each of which can be mounted with as many as six nuclear warheads.

The commemoration followed Russia’s announcement of the submarines’ Arctic journey, amid rising U.S.-Russia tensions. Both nations have deployed nuclear-capable bombers to Northern Europe and Northeast Asia, with the military rivalry also intensifying in the thawing Arctic.

The ceremony also came after the Sino-Russian Ocean-2024 exercise, involving more than 40 warships, 120 aircraft and some 90,000 personnel, spanning the Pacific and Arctic oceans, as well as the Mediterranean, Baltic and Caspian seas.

The war games are part of Russia and China’s broader efforts to increase military cooperation, particularly in East Asia, where both countries have territorial disputes—Russia with Japan over the Kuril Islands and China with Japan over the Senkaku Islands.

China’s demand for Russian fossil fuels has boosted Russia’s economy, heavily sanctioned since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Both nations are pushing back against U.S.-led alliances in the Pacific.

U.S. Air Force Undersecretary Melissa Dalton on Wednesday said Washington faces an “unprecedented” security environment.

“We face for the first time in our nation’s history, two strategic competitors that are nuclear states with large and growing nuclear arsenals,” she said of China and Russia during remarks at the 2024 Air, Space & Cyber Conference near Washington, D.C., the Department of Defense quoted her as saying.

Reached by Newsweek for a comment on the 25th Submarine Division, a Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment, calling it an intelligence matter.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via written request for comment.