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| The Russian submarine Dmitriy Donskoi (TK-208) – Wikipedia |
International Military - One of the world's largest nuclear ballistic missile submarines, the Dmitry Donskoy, has reportedly been decommissioned. The report came from a Russian state media on July 20.
Quoted from the Eurasian Times, the submarine Dmitry Donskoy has a length of 175 meters. The Typhoon-class submarines have been part of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet since 1980.
The state-run RIA Novosti news agency, citing unidentified sources in the Russian defense industry, said the submarine Dmitry Donskoy had been decommissioned from the fleet. Dmitry Donskoy will be replaced by the 184-meter Oscar I Belgorod nuclear submarine. Belgorod was commissioned in early July 2022.
The submarine Berlgorod and the submarine Dmitry Donskoy were last seen together in the White Sea off the northwestern coast of Russia. Experts at the time speculated that Dmitry Donskoy escorted the Belgorod during sea trials before the Oscar I class ship entered service.
However, TASS, which is also a Russian-owned media outlet, denied the reports. TASS claims Dmitry Donskoy is currently conducting combat training at sea. "Recent reports about the withdrawal of Dmitry Donskoy from the Russian Navy do not correspond to reality. The ship is currently carrying out combat training duties at sea, participating in combat training events."
A TASS source in the shipbuilding sector added that no decision could be made regarding the future of Dmitry Donskoy before December 2022. He added that the technical condition of the ship and the stockpile of nuclear fuel needed to be evaluated by experts.
However, the source does not completely rule out the possibility that this will allow the vessel's service life to be extended by a few more years.
The Russian submarine "Dmitry Donskoy" joined the Navy in the 1980s and served there successfully for almost 20 years before being modernized in 2002 under project 941UM.
The submarine Dmitry Donskoy is equipped with 20 Bulava ballistic missiles, which allows it to strike the enemy with a devastating blow. On September 27, 2005, the submarine Dmitry Donskoy fired its first Bulava missile. The missile was launched from the White Sea as the submarine surfaced.
Then, the crew tried to fire the first Bulava missile underwater. In December 2005, they managed to do just that, striking a target in the Ape Test Range.