Support The Moscow Times!

Naval Chiefs at Russian Submarine Ceremony Ignore Coronavirus Safety Rules

Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Evmenov handing over the St. Andrew’s naval flag to the commander of the Knyaz Vladimir. Press Service of the Defense Ministry / TASS

Russian officials handing over a ballistic missile submarine to the Northern Fleet on Friday did not wear masks or practice social distancing, despite the ceremony taking place in the city with the highest number of coronavirus cases in the northern Arkhangelsk region.

The flag-raising ceremony for the Knyaz Vladimir (Prince Vladimir) took place in the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk and was attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, the Commander of the Northern Fleet Aleksandr Moiseev and other dignitaries.

Severodvinsk has reported 1,605 cases of Covid-19, according to regional health authorities in Arkhangelsk. Of the infected, 1,163 work at the Sevmash and Zvezdochka naval shipyards, regional news outlet 29.ru reported on Friday.

The Vkontakte social media page monitoring the coronavirus situation in Arkhangelsk region reported 42 new cases over the past day, 32 of them shipyard employees.

Due to the serious coronavirus outbreak in Severodvinsk, the city has been closed to the public since Saturday.

Photos of the ceremony published by the Sevmash shipyard and the Defense Ministry’s press service showed dozens of non-crew members shoulder-to-shoulder on the deck of the submarine.

The Knyaz Vladimir is expected to sail from Severdovinsk toward her new homeport of Gadzhiyevo on the Kola Peninsula in the nearest future.

The submarine is a Borei-A class submarine that can carry 16 Bulava missiles. Each missile is believed to hold 6 to 10 nuclear warheads. 

Sevmash is building a total of eight Borei-A class submarines. Half of them will be based with the Northern Fleet on the Kola Peninsula, while the other half will sail with Russia’s Pacific Fleet.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more