According to a report from Russian state media on Wednesday, the world’s largest strategic nuclear ballistic missile submarine has been removed from the Russian naval fleet.
The state-run RIA Novosti news outlet, citing an unnamed Russian defense industry source, said the Dmitry Donskoy, a nuclear ballistic missile submarine that measures nearly 600 feet, has been decommissioned. “The submarine Dmitry Donskoy has been removed from the fleet and is to be scrapped,” the source said.
The Typhoon-class submarine, the lead vessel of the Project 941 Akula class of ballistic missile submarines, has been in commission since 1980, the news outlet said.
The 600-foot Oscar II-class Belgorod nuclear submarine, which was commissioned earlier this month, will take Dmitry Donskoy’s place as the largest submarine in the world, according to The Moscow Times. A TASS source in the shipbuilding industry told the news agency that a decision on the future fate of the submarine would be made no earlier than December this year. “Then the specialists will have to assess the technical condition of the ship and the stock of nuclear fuel,” the source said.
“Recent reports about the withdrawal of Dmitry Donskoy from the Russian Navy do not correspond to reality. The ship is currently performing combat training tasks at sea, participating in combat training activities. It will remain in combat formation at least until the end of the year,” another source told TASS.
