The first week of July, a Typhoon class nuclear powered submarine arrived at Sevmash shipyard, Severodvinsk, to get scrapped. The decommissioning of the submarine is funded by Co-operative Threat Reduction program.

Russia has built six Typhoon class submarines – the biggest nuclear powered submarines ever built. The submarine to get scrapped shortly has TK-202 identification number. It was launched at Sevmash shipyard on 26 April 1982.

The American Co-operative Threat Reduction program, or CTR, funds the decommissioning work. CTR’s objective is to dismantle five Typhoons in total in the years to come.

The plans for dismantlement of Typhoons have never been confirmed by the Russian Navy publicly, and have been referred to only by CTR. In 1996, the Russian navy magazine Morskoy Sbornik reported, however, that two Typhoons were put on reserve. Lack of proper maintenance and finances to upgrade the submarines were named among the main reasons.

There are strong indications that such plans can meet protest from the Russian Lower House of the Parliament, or State Duma, once this news grips their attention.

The remaining five Typhoons are stationed at Nerpichya in Zapadnaya Litsa Bay at the Kola Peninsula.