In the context of the entry into service of the third of its new Project 677 submarines (also known as the Lada class), Russian Navy authorities announced that construction of two additional units would begin in early 2026, putting into motion what had been announced by President Vladimir Putin himself last July. The news was disclosed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, who addressed the press during the flag-raising ceremony of the submarine Velikiye Luki, held in the city of Saint Petersburg.
Quoting some of his statements: “We have commissioned another vessel, and two more are at various stages of construction. Contracts have already been signed under the current state defense order for two additional submarines (Editor’s note: belonging to the Lada class). And I believe we will take part in the keel-laying ceremony for these vessels very soon, in early next year. They are the backbone of Russia’s non-nuclear submarine fleet.”
No details have yet been provided regarding the construction timeline of the third unit announced by the Russian president, with which the Navy could complete the formation of a fleet of nine submarines, thereby consolidating the renewal of its conventional submarine capabilities. In this regard, it is worth recalling that President Putin himself identified this issue as one of the priorities to be addressed by Russia’s defense establishment during meetings held in the city of Arkhangelsk, considering that, in his view, the submarine fleet constitutes one of the pillars of the country’s deterrence capabilities to maintain strategic parity with its geopolitical rivals.
Regarding the Project 677 submarines in particular, it should be noted that these platforms are capable of deploying Alfa and Oniks cruise missiles, as well as 533 mm torpedoes and naval mines, providing them with a wide range of attack options. Among other technical features, they are equipped with advanced acoustic protection systems to reduce the risk of detection by enemy assets, along with state-of-the-art sonar systems for target detection and tracking. In terms of dimensions, each submarine has a length of 66.8 meters and a beam of 7.1 meters, accommodating a crew of 35 and a displacement of more than 2,700 tons.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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