Putin unveils new nuclear icebreaker 'Chukotka' remotely
The Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced via video conference the launch of the nuclear icebreaker "Chukotka." "I allow you to proceed," declared Putin, as quoted by the government agency RIA Novosti.
3:54 PM EST, November 6, 2024
The launching ceremony was organized at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. RIA Novosti emphasized that the entire event took place with the remote participation of Vladimir Putin. The dictator authorized the initiation of the procedure and gave the command "amid fanfare and thunderous applause."
Putin noted that the Russian fleet includes 34 icebreakers, seven of which are nuclear-powered. Soon, the icebreakers "Yakutia," "Leningrad," and "Stalingrad" will also be commissioned, although the latter was originally supposed to be named "Kamchatka."
The initiative is important for preserving the memory of the courage of the defenders of Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War, said the governor of Volgograd, Andrei Bochkarev. Bochkarev appealed to Putin to change the icebreaker's name to honor the victims of the siege of Stalingrad during World War II, when about 1.9 million people died.
Over 558 feet in length
Russian media emphasize that the keel for the construction of the icebreaker was laid in December 2020. Previously, the icebreaker "Siberia" was commissioned, which "is equipped with two RITM-200 nuclear reactors with a capacity of 175 MW each," reads the portal nuclear.pl. "Chukotka" is a sister project of "Siberia."
"The hull, measuring 569 feet in length and 112 feet in width, has the ability to crush ice up to 9 feet thick," emphasizes nuclear.pl.
