Ukraine has pulled off a major intelligence coup, gaining access to sensitive files on Russia’s newest and deadliest nuclear submarine. The information pinpoints specific weaknesses in the design of the Knyaz Pozharsky submarine and other vessels of its class.
The attack was carried out by cyber warfare specialists from Ukraine’s defence intelligence agency – the HUR. The Knyaz Pozharsky is a Borei-A class nuclear submarine, equipped with 30 RSM-56 Bulava ballistic missiles. Each missile can carry up to ten warheads, making the Borei-A submarines a core element of Russia’s nuclear deterrence.
The cyber attack has allowed Ukraine’s military to gain an unprecedented insight into the submarine’s inner workings and technical limitations.
The hackers were able to retrieve files detailing the submarine’s combat layout, its engineering schematics, survival systems and the organisational structure of the crew.
Incredibly the documents also revealed the names of every crew member, their roles, qualifications and even their physical training levels.
The Knyaz Pozharsky has only just entered service, and has been assigned to the 31st submarine division of Russia’s Northern Fleet. Vladimir Putin attended the flag-raising ceremony for the submarine in Severodvinsk on July 24.
He was joined by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Alexander Moiseyev, as well as First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.
Putin boasted that the submarine was kitted out with “the most effective electronic equipment and strike weapons”.
“This is already the fifth serial missile carrier of the Borei-A project, which has been delivered to the Navy over the past six years,” he said.
“Such ships form the basis of the naval strategic nuclear forces and, taking into account the modernisation resource, will ensure the security of our state in the coming decades.
“In total, more than 70 ships are in various stages of completion at Russian shipyards. Here, at Sevmash alone, six new nuclear submarines are planned to be built by 2030.”