A test report on sea trials completion was signed at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk on December 7, ITAR-TASS reported. Dmitry Donskoy is ready for service but lacks only ballistic missiles Bulava promised only for 2006. According to Interfax, the submarine was under upgrade works since 1989 and was equipped with the modern systems of communication, acoustic and radiation control. The submarine was loaded with fresh nuclear fuel. It is scheduled to return to its base in Zapadnaya Litsa in the beginning of 2005.

The submarine was built at the Sevmash plant in 1982 and became the first Russian Typhoon submarine Design Bureau Rubin (St Petersburg) developed third generation Typhoon (Akula) class submarine project 941. Sevmash built six Typhoons. The submarine has multi-hulled design, having two parallel main hulls, also called strong hulls, inside the light hull. Maximum diving depth is 400 m. Speed is 12 knots when surfaced and 27 knots when submerged. Typhoon is capable of spending 120 days at sea. The submarine is divided into 19 compartments and powered with two 190 megawatts nuclear reactors.