Putin’s newest submarine – designed to carry Poseidon doomsday weapon ‘which can unleash tsunamis’ – launches for the first time
Russia has quietly launched its newest nuclear submarine, the Khabarovsk, sending it for sea trials in the White Sea without official fanfare. The vessel has been built to carry Poseidon nuclear torpedoes, a weapon Moscow claims is unstoppable and capable of triggering radioactive tsunamis, and its unveiling comes amid heightened rhetoric from Kremlin-aligned media urging retaliation against Britain over its military support for Ukraine.
The 10,000-ton Khabarovsk reportedly cost around £1billion and can carry up to six Poseidon torpedoes alongside conventional anti-ship and land-attack missiles. Poseidon itself is said to have a range exceeding 6,000 miles and can dive to depths of 3,280ft, with Russian officials describing it as a "doomsday weapon" impossible to intercept. Western defence analysts, including Dr Richard Connolly of RUSI, say the claims are likely exaggerated and that Russia is unlikely to use the weapon given the certainty of retaliation from Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent.
In short
- Russia launches Khabarovsk submarine, built to carry Poseidon nuclear torpedoes
- Poseidon claimed capable of causing radioactive tsunamis, deemed unstoppable
- Experts doubt Russia would actually use it, citing fear of UK retaliation
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Russia's development and deployment of this advanced submarine armed with strategic nuclear weapons represents a genuine military escalation and hostile strategic move. The concurrent threats from Kremlin-aligned media directed at Britain demonstrate aggressive intent beyond defensive purposes. Western nations must treat this seriously as a credible escalation and respond with enhanced deterrence and security measures to protect their interests and reassure allies of their commitment to collective defence.
The case against
Whilst Russia's military development requires serious monitoring, credible Western defence experts assess that Moscow's most dramatic claims about Poseidon capabilities are propaganda rather than technical reality. Treating inflated claims as gospel and responding with military escalation risks creating unnecessary tensions and undermining the stable mutual deterrence that has prevented major power conflict for decades. A measured, reality-based assessment of actual threats is more responsible than reacting to propaganda narratives.
Explained simply
Russia's newest nuclear-powered submarine, the Khabarovsk, has begun sea trials, drawing attention because of the weapon it is designed to carry. That weapon, known as Poseidon, is an experimental nuclear-capable torpedo that Moscow says could travel vast distances underwater and strike coastal targets, though it has never been used in conflict and much of what is claimed about it comes from Russian sources.
The development matters because it comes at a time of strained relations between Russia and Western countries, particularly Britain, which has been providing military support to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2022. Submarines and weapons of this kind are often unveiled or publicised as a show of strength, intended to send a political signal as much as a military one.
Independent defence experts outside Russia have long urged caution about taking such announcements at face value, noting that governments sometimes overstate the capabilities of new weapons for domestic or diplomatic effect. Britain, for its part, maintains its own nuclear deterrent, which is generally seen as the main factor discouraging any actual use of such weapons against it.