Ukraine hacks Russian submarine key to Moscow's Arctic expansion
Beginning service in late July, the Knyaz Pozharsky is a state-of-the-art nuclear submarine — a key element of Moscow's nuclear triad. It is permanently based in Gadzhiyevo, Murmansk Oblast, and part of Russia's Northern Fleet.
The hack potentially exposes the limitations of not only this submarine but the entire Borei class fleet, which underpins Russia's strategic position in the Arctic.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine agency said the stolen files include detailed crew rosters, combat instructions, technical diagrams of combat systems and survivability measures, operational schedules and engineering reports.
The schedule log is a comprehensive document showing the vessel's daily combat and routine operations, it said.
• Why did Trump move his best nuclear deterrent? Not for strategic gain
'The information obtained by the intelligence officers allows us to identify the features and technical limitations of not only the Knyaz Pozharsky but also other submarines of the 955A project, which are critical to maintaining the imperial myth of the aggressor state of Russia,' the DIU added.
Ukraine's reported Knyaz Pozharsky hack is the latest in a series of intelligence operations targeting Russia and its nuclear triad.
In early June, Ukraine's GUR launched 'Spider's Web,' an unprecedented drone attack on Russian military airfields, which destroyed several strategic aviation aircraft, also part of Russia's nuclear triad.
'Nuclear weapons are the main symbol of Russia's global greatness,' Maxim Starchak, an expert in Russia's nuclear policy, wrote for Carnegie at the time. 'Operation Spider's Web was undoubtedly a blow to the Kremlin's pride.'
The undermining of Moscow's nuclear prowess on Sunday came as the Russian and Chinese navies carried out anti-submarine drills in the Sea of Japan as part of a scheduled joint exercise.
They are taking place just days after President Trump ordered two US nuclear submarines to be positioned in 'the appropriate regions' in response to remarks made by the former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
No independent cybersecurity firm or Western agency has confirmed Sunday's claim, and Russia has issued no official statement acknowledging a breach.
• How Dmitry Medvedev went from friend of the West to Trump baiter
The Knyaz Pozharsky is a Project 955A Borei‑A class submarine, one of the most advanced elements of the Kremlin's nuclear triad, with high stealth capability, manoeuvrability and offensive power.
Each sub carries 16 launch silos for R-30 Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, with each missile capable of delivering up to ten nuclear warheads.
The nuclear triad consists of land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic bombers and submarine-launched ballistic missiles that are the core of Russia's nuclear deterrent strategy.
Russia has repeatedly escalated nuclear rhetoric throughout the Ukraine conflict, with senior officials threatening potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, though no nuclear arms have been deployed on Ukrainian soil.
Last month, President Putin underlined the need to adapt to global military trends and strengthen Russia's nuclear and conventional forces, describing the triad as 'a guarantee of Russia's sovereignty'.
During the commissioning event for the Knyaz Pozharsky, Putin announced plans to deploy six more nuclear submarines by 2030 that are to be equipped with Poseidon, an unmanned nuclear-powered underwater vehicle.
In the Arctic, Russia has continued to step up its military and economic activities over the past decade. The region is strategically significant due to its vast untapped natural resources and emerging shipping routes.
As ice in the region begins melting at increasingly earlier points in the year, shorter shipping routes have opened up throughout the Arctic for longer periods of time, allowing Russia to circumvent foreign powers. It is seeing growing competition, however, from its close ally China, which announced plans for an 'Arctic Silk Road' in 2018, also viewing climate change as an opportunity to access more favourable shipping routes.
Russia's nuclear submarine fleet regularly conducts under-ice patrols and exercises in the region as part of Russia's effort to maintain a credible nuclear deterrent and assert military dominance.
Alongside its military push, Russia is exploiting the added opportunity melting ice has opened up around the Arctic's energy reserves, focusing on oil, gas and minerals.
The Northern Fleet, which operates the Borei-class submarines, regularly conducts exercises in Arctic conditions, including under-ice patrols.
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