Amid a buildup of Moscow's naval power, the Russian Navy is set to commission its third brand new Borei class nuclear missile submarine, the K-551 Vladimir Monomakh, a senior Defense Ministry source was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency on Friday. The Navy's flag will be raised over the boat on Dec. 19, marking its official induction into the fleet four months after completing sea trials, the source said, although the boat will be signed over to the Navy on December 10.
The Borei-class submarines are Russia's next-generation "boomers" — large submarines packed with nuclear tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that lurk in the safety of the ocean depths, ensuring that Russia will always have a reserve of missiles to fire at its enemies if its land-based strategic nuclear forces are obliterated.