In a move to
counter the US presence in the Pacific Ocean bordering Asia, Russian navy's newest
nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine will move to a permanent base in
the Kamchatka Peninsula in August this year, Russia's TASS news agency reported
as Moscow steps up its Pacific military presence.
The Generalissimo Suvorov, which entered service
at the end of 2022, carries up to 16 nuclear-tipped Russian Bulava missiles,
each of which can carry more than one nuclear warhead.
"The
submarine Generalissimo Suvorov will make an inter-naval transition from the
Northern Fleet (in the Arctic) to the Pacific Fleet in August," the state
TASS news agency reported, citing a source close to the military department.
"The transition will be carried out along the Northern Sea Route,
including in a submerged position."
Russia has been boosting defenses in its
vast far eastern regions bordering Asia-Pacific, accusing the US of expanding its presence
there and raising security concerns in Japan and across the region.
The
Generalissimo Suvorov is meant to bolster the Russian Pacific Fleet's force of
nuclear-powered submarines at the Rybachiy submarine base on the Kamchatka
Peninsula, Russian agencies reported earlier.
The submarine
is the sixth vessel of the Russian Borei class of smaller and stealthier
submarines, Russian agencies have reported. They will replace the country's
previous generations of ballistic missiles submarines.