Just when we thought the Russian problems were finally ending, they come out with their latest submarine, and this is something straight out of a 1980s comic book.
The Project 09852 special-purpose submarine Belgorod is a 508-foot-long modified version of the Soviet-designed Oscar-class submarine. What makes this submarine unique is the special modifications that allow it to carry and deploy up to six 80-foot nuclear-armed weapons. These weapons are frequently known as Status-6 Oceanic Multipurpose System, aka “Poseidon”. It is also known as Kanyon by NATO.
No matter what you want to call it, this weapons system’s basic functions make it into a nuclear torpedo or a nuclear unmanned underwater vehicle, and it is incredibly deadly. Per the U.S. Naval Institute News, these Poseidon torpedoes have estimates of carrying 100 megaton nuclear warheads. They could be launched against enemy shorelines to detonate against enemy coastal cities or detonated in the water to create tidal waves that flood vast swathes of land. These capabilities have led to the submarine being classified as a “doomsday” class vessel. After its first submersions in April of 2019, it has undergone numerous extensive sea trials.
Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolay Yevmenov said, “The submarine Belgorod opens new opportunities for Russia in holding various researches and helps carry out diverse scientific expeditions and rescue operations in remote areas of the World Ocean.”
Russian state television host Dmitry Kiselyov has spoken of the devastation this submarine could bring to its enemies while citing Britain specifically as a target. “There is no way to stop this underwater drone. The explosion of this thermonuclear torpedo close to Britain’s coast will cause a gigantic wave tsunami wave up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) high. This wave also carries extreme doses of radiation. Having passed over the British Isles, it will turn whatever might be left of them into a radioactive desert unfit for anything for a long time.”
The devastation of this magnitude is a huge concern for any coastal city here in the U.S. as well. Places like Miami, New Orleans, and Houston are at substantial risk should a submarine attack their cities. Even NYC and Washington DC are incredibly vulnerable to the devastation this kind of attack could bring.
By introducing this kind of submarine to their arsenal, the risk levels for nuclear war go up even higher. Given the computer simulations they showed as Kiselyouv spoke, they have done some serious simulations and war games to prepare for the use of this submarine. Given their recent embarrassment in Ukraine, any use of this equipment would be a way to make a big splash on the global conflict map. People tend to stand up and take notice when weapons like these are used.
Experts have claimed that the Baltics and other northeastern European counties are at some of the greatest risks of being attacked as they are in the process of entering NATO. Should the Russians choose to attack them, there is also a tremendous risk of a NATO response, even if they have yet to become full-fledged members.
Should NATO opt to get involved before they fully join, it would be unprecedented. Much the same, should they choose to get involved, the U.S. would be pulled in as well.
Unlike when the U.S. invaded Iraq or Afghanistan, there was no need for NATO to get involved as the conditions for NATO involvement had not been met with bin Laden not acting on the behest of a country, and our choice to invade Iraq to remove a dictator did not meet the requirements for NATO involvement either.
With little support from outside nations, we had a difficult time gaining ground. Should these countries need the U.S. we would certainly remember what it was like going it alone, and unlike Ukraine, our having boots on the ground would be nearly guaranteed.
