As America’s defense industrial base—notably its naval shipyards—remains in the throes of crisis, Russia’s naval shipyards continue meeting the benchmarks their leaders have set out for them to make. 

Enter the Yakutsk, the sixth-and-final unit in the Russian Navy’s Project 636.3 Varshavyanka-class—known more generally by its NATO reporting name, the Kilo-class. Assigned to the Russian Pacific Fleet, this new diesel-electric submarine is the last of the newest tranche of iconic Kilo-class upgraded submarines the Russian Navy was set to receive.

An advanced variant of earlier Kilo-class submarines designed by the legendary Rubin Central Design Bureau, these submarines are known for their stealth—earning the nickname “Black Hole” from the US Navy due to their low acoustic signature. The subs are primarily intended for anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, intelligence gathering, and strategic missile strikes. 

Understanding the Yakutsk’s Mission

The Yakutsk, along with her five other sister subs, were intended to bolster the Russian Pacific Fleet’s capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. For years, the Putin government has striven to augment Russia’s tenuous grip on its resource-rich—though sparsely populated and underdeveloped—Far Eastern regions. 

While........

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