Vladimir Putin's surprise appearance leaves Russians in awe
President Vladimir Putin of Russia paid an unexpected visit to the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, located in the northwestern Archangelsk Oblast of Russia, on Monday. He was there to attend the commissioning of new nuclear submarines. His visit, unsurprisingly, came as a substantial surprise to the locals since it had not been announced beforehand.
6:54 AM EST, December 12, 2023
Sevmash, one of Russia's few shipyards specializing in building nuclear-powered submarines, was where Putin made his sudden appearance. He was there to participate in the flag-raising ceremony for two nuclear submarines, "Krasnoyarsk" and "Emperor Alexander III." The residents had no prior information about the Kremlin leader's visit. The sight of the presidential column in the morning was their first clue about what would happen.
Putin Showcases the Country's Nuclear Power
"With such seamen, such vessels, and such weapons, Russia will feel secure," Vladimir Putin wrote in the guest book on the bridge of one of the warships docked in the port of Severodvinsk.
In his speech, the Russian president declared that "Emperor Alexander III" is the seventh vessel in the series of strategic Borei-class missile carriers, and "Krasnoyarsk" is the fourth in the series of multi-purpose Yasen-class nuclear submarines. He further committed to continuing the construction program of fourth-generation nuclear-powered submarines. Plans include building three more strategic Borei-A missile carriers from Sevmash as part of the state armament program.
Each Borei-A class submarine has the capacity to carry 16 Bulava ballistic missiles, a significant element of Russia's nuclear deterrence strategy. At the moment, the northern Russian shipyard is constructing five multi-purpose Yasen-M class submarines, including the "Archangelsk", which was commissioned at the end of November.
