Russia launches nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk designed to carry Poseidon underwater drone

Exam-focused facts from the 6 February 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Russia launched its newest nuclear-powered submarine Khabarovsk on 1 November 2025 at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk.
The submarine is designed to carry the underwater nuclear drone Poseidon, a nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed system capable of intercontinental underwater travel.
Poseidon is intended to strengthen Russia’s strategic deterrence, bypass existing missile defence systems, and serve as a second-strike weapon.
The launch ceremony was led by Andrei Belousov, Russia’s Defence Minister, and attended by Alexander Moiseyev, Chief of the Russian Navy.
The Khabarovsk is part of Russia’s next-generation underwater systems programme aimed at modernising its nuclear forces amid rising global security tensions.