For years, Russian submarine activity has extended well beyond immediate coastal waters into very distant areas. In itself, that already amounts to a strategic asset, letting submarines literally “disappear” beneath the waves, lending added value to their strategic nature. At the same time, the unceasing increase in Russian submarines—mostly in the Arctic—is becoming quite worrying to the authorities within NATO circles, as it indicates a return to the Cold War era.
The Northern Fleet is a key element of the Russian Navy that hosts Russia’s nuclear sea forces, based in the Arctic close to NATO territories. In 2021, a Borei-class submarine spent two months concealed under the Arctic ice cap, further worrying NATO about Russian submarine activities. Those included concerns over the Belgorod submarine, fitted with six Poseidon nuclear weapons. It has been nicknamed a ‘doomsday’ weapon because the Poseidon is the largest torpedo in the world and is capable of inflicting immense destruction upon coastal cities. Being able to do so on its own without satellites, and with the capacity to bypass missile defenses, it’s a dangerous weapon.
There have been rumors circling concerning Belgorod’s involvement in the Nordstream 1 and 2 pipeline incidents in October 2022. Nevertheless, analysts like Sutton indicated that Belgorod was spotted in the Barents Sea during the last days of September, which makes the submarine’s presence in the Baltic at the time of the attacks impossible. That observation clears up the inference that Belgorod has vanished, though its presence still turns into a huge concern for European navies.
The Belgorod submarine, delivered to the Russian Navy in a ceremony at the headquarters of the Northern Fleet in Severodvinsk, has opened new opportunities for Russia in the use of naval forces. According to Adm. Nikolai Anatolyevich Yevmenov, the chief of the Russian Navy, Belgorod has opened new opportunities for research, scientific expeditions, and rescue operations in the farthest areas of the world ocean. It is also designed to carry rescue deep-sea and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles.
The Poseidon torpedo, unveiled in 2015, is a nuclear strategic weapon with a range of thousands of miles that will destroy important economic installations in coastal areas and create wide areas of radioactive contamination. This effectively relieves Russian concerns about the strategic imbalance created by American ballistic missile defense systems in Europe. The Poseidon and Belgorod were developed to counter the U.S. That, through the creation of a nuclear weapon able to evade U.S. defenses, there is a BMD advantage.
Belgorod is part of Russia’s fleet of special-purpose submarines, operated by the Main Directorate of Deep Sea Research (GUGI), based out of an isolated Arctic base on the Kola Peninsula. Aside from the Poseidon, Belgorod can also act as a mothership for some crewed and unmanned submersibles in service for deep-sea missions that will include Losharik, currently undergoing repairs after its 2019 battery explosion, and the A-12 manned submersible, also for deep-diving operations.
It can achieve 100 knots with a range of some 10,000 kilometers and operate at up to 1,000 meters in depth. It is tipped with a nuclear warhead of at least several megatons of yield, posing a massive threat to coastal cities. A Polymer product of the wider Russian nuclear strategy, Poseidon emphasizes nuclear deterrence and the bypassing of US ballistic missile defenses.
The advent of Poseidon has raised concerns about strategic stability given advances in artificial intelligence and autonomous platforms for nuclear delivery. However, many experts believe that the Poseidon will not alter the already existing strategic nuclear balance with the United States, since Russia already can launch nuclear-armed missiles at U.S. cities. Instead, the Poseidon represents a primarily psychic weapon designed for nuclear signaling and not actual use.
With the continuing development of its underwater arsenal, which includes more than 10 types of unmanned underwater vehicles, Belgorod and Poseidon represent a serious step forward in modern warfare. In combination with increased Belgorod capabilities and the claimed effects of Poseidon, this obliges close attention to Russian submarine activity and what it bodes for global security.