Russia plans to salvage sunken submarines

by Heiner Kubny

01/16/2026

On the night of August 29–30, 2003, the submarine K-159 of the Northern Fleet sank while being towed for disposal northwest of Kildin Island, shortly before reaching its destination, at a depth of 238 meters. (Photo: Bellona)

The Russian government has included funds for the recovery of the sunken Soviet nuclear submarines K-27 and K-159 in the draft federal budget for the years 2026 to 2028. This was announced by the state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom. Preparatory work is scheduled to begin in 2026, with the actual salvage operation planned from 2027 onward.

According to Rosatom’s press service, the draft budget provides funding from 2027 for the “remediation of the Arctic seas from sunken and flooded radiation-hazardous facilities.” Initial preparatory measures are to start as early as 2026. Rosatom did not disclose the exact amount of funding envisaged. The Ministry of Finance declined to comment, stating that this part of the budget is not publicly itemized.

1: 2 reactors without spent nuclear fuel 2: 2 reactors without spent nuclear fuel and 60% of the nuclear fuel from the icebreaker Lenin in containers 3: 6 reactors with uranium, 10 without nuclear fuel, 11,000 containers with radioactive waste 4: Submarine K-27 with two reactors 5: 3 reactors with and 3 without nuclear fuel. (Graphic: Heiner Kubny)

The explanatory notes to the draft budget state that the state program “Development of the Nuclear Technology Industrial Complex” is to be funded with a total of 283.4 billion rubles (€2.9 billion) over a three-year period. Within this program, a package of measures is planned for the safe handling of radioactive waste as well as for the maintenance and disposal of legacy nuclear hazards. For this purpose, 10.5 billion rubles are earmarked for 2026, 10.7 billion rubles for 2027, and 10.6 billion rubles for 2028.

Soviet-era legacy hazards

The submarines K-27 and K-159 are among a total of seven Soviet and Russian nuclear submarines that sank in the world’s oceans in various years. Worldwide, nine nuclear submarines are considered sunk, including two American vessels.

K-27 was the only submarine of Project 645 and was built with a reactor that used liquid metal coolant, a lead-bismuth alloy. The submarine entered service in 1963 and was considered technologically advanced at the time. After a serious reactor accident in 1968, during which all crew members were exposed to radiation and nine sailors died, the vessel was decommissioned. Due to the lack of suitable disposal options, K-27 was scuttled in 1981 in the Kara Sea near Novaya Zemlya at a depth of about 75 meters.

K-159, a representative of the first series of Soviet nuclear submarines with pressurized-water reactors, had also been in service since 1963. After its decommissioning, it sank in 2003 while being towed for scrapping near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea.

K-27 was a nuclear submarine of the Soviet Navy. It was an experimental vessel equipped with two liquid-metal-cooled reactors instead of the standard pressurized-water reactors. It suffered reactor damage in 1968 and became publicly known due to its scuttling in 1982 and the resulting environmental hazards. (Photo: Bellona)

Growing urgency

Experts and government representatives have been pointing out for years the need to recover both wrecks. A key risk is the ongoing corrosion of the hulls, which further weakens the structural stability of the submarines. Specialists warn that delaying recovery could make the operation technically more difficult and riskier over time. As early as 2021, Rosatom estimated the cost of the salvage operation at around 24.4 billion rubles.

With the inclusion of corresponding funds in the draft budget, the long-discussed recovery is now, for the first time, moving into a concrete timeframe. Whether the planned measures will actually be implemented as intended will likely also depend on technical and financial details that have not yet been made public.

Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal