Yakutsk submarine arrives in Vladivostok via Northern Sea Route

Detailed summary

The submarine completed an inter-fleet passage from the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet, covering more than 9,000 nautical miles

MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. The Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet submarine Yakutsk has arrived at its home port in Vladivostok for the first time after navigating the Northern Sea Route, the fleet’s press service reported.

"The Project 636.3 submarine Yakutsk of the Pacific Fleet has arrived at its home port in Vladivostok for the first time," the press service said. "The submarine completed an inter-fleet passage from the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet via the Northern Sea Route, covering more than 9,000 nautical miles," it said.

A welcoming ceremony was held at the Primorsky Flotilla’s submarine formation to mark the submarine’s arrival. During the event, Flotilla Commander Vice Admiral Alexey Sysuyev congratulated the sailors on their arrival at their home port. In addition to the fleet command, the crew was greeted by family and friends, as well as representatives of the shipbuilder and veterans’ organizations. After a brief rest, the submarine’s crew will begin scheduled combat training exercises with the Pacific Fleet’s submarine forces.

The Yakutsk is the last of six Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class diesel-electric submarines ordered for the Pacific Fleet. The submarine was built at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg and commissioned into the Pacific Fleet in June 2025.

Submarines of this class are 73 meters long, have a hull width of 10 meters, a crew of 52, and stay out at sea for approximately 45 days. They are equipped with the latest inertial navigation system, a modern automated command-and-control system, high-precision missile weapons, and powerful torpedo armament.

The submarines are armed with torpedoes as well as the Kalibr strike missile system. They can detect a target at a range three to four times greater than the range at which an enemy can detect them. NATO has called this type of submarine a "black hole" due its stealth capabilities.

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