SEVEROMORSK, April 13. /TASS/. The strategic underwater missile-carrying cruiser Knyaz Vladimir proved its worth in Arctic ice surfacing when three nuclear-powered subs simultaneously broke the 1.5-meter-thick ice, Russian Navy Chief Nikolai Yevmenov reported to Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday.

The strategic nuclear-powered sub Knyaz Vladimir "fully justifies its designation and no damage was registered upon its surfacing," the Navy chief said.

The Russian defense minister heard the report by the Navy chief during an inspection of the military and social infrastructure of the nuclear-powered submarines’ base in the Gadzhiyevo garrison in the Murmansk Region.

In the course of an Arctic expedition in March 2021, three Russian nuclear-powered submarines concurrently surfaced in the area of the Alexandra Land Island of the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic.

Two submarines were Project 667BDRM (Delfin-class) underwater cruisers while the third vessel was the improved Project 955A (Borei-A) latest nuclear-powered submarine Knyaz Vladimir. The three subs carried a total of 48 submarine-launched ballistic missiles.

The Knyaz Vladimir is the improved Project 955A strategic missile-carrying underwater cruiser, which represents the fourth generation of nuclear-powered subs built for the Russian Navy. It was laid down at the Sevmash Shipyard on July 30, 2012 and floated out in November 2017.

Compared to the first three Borei-class subs (the Yuri Dolgoruky, the Alexander Nevsky and the Vladimir Monomakh), the submarine Knyaz Vladimir is quieter and features improved maneuvering, depth and armament control systems.

The submarine Knyaz Vladimir entered service with the Russian Navy on June 12, 2020.