Russian nuclear submarines will again patrol the southern seas two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was reported.
Borei-class submarines, which have 16 long-range nuclear missiles, will “will allow us to fulfill the tasks of strategic deterrence not only across the North Pole but also the South Pole,” an unnamed official was quoted as saying by Reuters, citing the state-run ITAR-TASS news agency.
The Russian official said that nuclear sub patrols will take place over a several-year period, starting in 2014.
The move comes after Russia recently sent a naval unit to the Mediterranean in a sign that Moscow is aiming to further bolster its military capabilities.
A source told ITAR-TASS that the submarines “will not only continue to patrol the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but will resume execution of combat missions in those regions of the world’s ocean, where in the late 90s of the last century used to be the Soviet Navy, and where they have ceased to appear following the collapse of the Soviet Union.”
