Ukraine Claims to Steal Secrets of Russia's Newest Ballistic-Missile Sub

 

Ukraine's intelligence service says that it has gotten hold of an extensive set of secret files about the nuclear ballistic missile submarine Knyaz Pozharsky, Russia's newest Borei-A class sub. If legitimate, the leak is an embarrassment for Russia's internal security apparatus, and could be used in targeting the vessel, its crew or its designers. 

Ukraine's agents claim to have obtained information that would be closely guarded by the Russian Navy. The scoop reportedly includes the names, qualifications and positions of the crewmembers; combat operations instructions for operating the vessel; schematics for the sub's survival-critical systems and combat capabilities; complete procedures for various everyday evolutions, like cargo transfers or towing operations; a schedule book showing the boat's daily routine; and engineering documentation, including a damage report identifying the Borei-class' shoreside engineering staff by name. The claims were backed up with images of the purported documentation. 

A sample of claimed secret documents (GUR)

"The information obtained by the intelligence officers allows us to identify the features and technical limitations of not only the Knyaz Pozharsky, but also other submarines of project 955A, which are critically important for supporting the imperial myth of the aggressor state of Russia," claimed the GUR in a statement. 

Knyaz Pozharsky is a 24,000-tonne nuclear ballistic missile sub armed with 16 Bulava SLBMs, each capable of delivering up to 10 nuclear warheads up to a distance of 9,000 kilometers away. Pozharsky is the eighth and newest hull in the series, and delivered just last month in a ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Borei-class reportedly has better stealth capabilities than its predecessors, thanks to a pump-jet propulsion system, and Pozharsky was built with incremental upgrades to improve its stealth further. 

The sub is named for a Russian commander who evicted Polish forces from Moscow in 1612, a seminal moment in Russia's history and national identity.