With the release of a short video on social media, the Russian Navy announced that one of its most modern Borei-A nuclear ballistic missile submarines completed a three-month patrol in the Pacific, specifically the vessel K-554 Emperor Alexander III. The news comes just days after the institution also revealed that its submarines had conducted joint patrols with their counterparts from the Chinese Navy for the first time, highlighting the growing level of naval activity in the region and the close ties between the two countries in the field of defense.
According to local reports, the vessel arrived this past Monday at its home port, located on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East. In particular, the submarine was involved in what the Navy defined as “combat missions,” which aimed to ensure the crew’s training level and send a message regarding Russia’s deterrence capabilities in the region.
After completing its mission, the submarine was welcomed at the base by the crew’s families as well as by Rear Admiral Valery Varfolomeev (current commander of the Russian Pacific Submarine Forces), who congratulated his subordinates for the successful completion of their work and for ensuring the nation’s security. He also stated that after a period of rest and resupply, the crew and the Emperor Alexander III would once again carry out pre-scheduled combat training missions.
It should be recalled that the submarine in question is the seventh built of the Borei-A class, with four more planned to complete the fleet. Its main feature is undoubtedly its ability to carry up to 16 Bulava-class intercontinental ballistic missiles, which earned it the nickname “formidable missile carrier” from President Vladimir Putin during the commissioning ceremony of the Emperor Alexander III. It also incorporates various improvements over the base Borei model, including lower noise levels, better maneuvering systems at great depths, and new components in its weapons control system.
Returning to the aforementioned growing level of Russian naval activity in the Pacific, it is worth noting that in August Moscow deployed its diesel-electric submarine RFS Volkhov (B-603) of the Kilo II class as part of joint submarine patrols with the Chinese Navy, marking the first time such operations had been conducted; until then, they had always been limited to surface ship patrols.
Just a few days earlier, both navies had carried out the “Joint Sea 2025” exercises in waters near the city of Vladivostok, deploying a wide range of naval assets for the occasion. Specifically, China deployed its Type 052D guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, the Type 903 replenishment ship Qiandaohu, and the integrated rescue vessel Xihu, along with a group of helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and marines. Russia, for its part, sent the anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, the corvette Rezky, and the rescue ship Igor Belousov. In both cases, the institutions stated that the activities were not aimed at any particular country.
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