Project 210 Losharik
The first Project 210 submarine was launched at the Severodvinsk shipyad in the Barents Sea in August 2003. The project was treated with the greatest possible secrecy, and even many shipyard officials were denied access to the launch ceremony. It is nicknamed `Losharik` for its spherical shape, resembling a popular Russian cartoon film character.
It is a top-secret project and few details are available. Some reports claim it is nuclear powered, while other reports are silent on this subject. It reportedly can dive to a depth of over 6,000 meters, and is said to be the most silent and hard-to-detect submarine in the Russian Navy. The new submarine is designed for special operations, scientific research and can also rescue crews of other submarines at great depths.
Work on Project 210 began before the break-up of the Soviet Union. Losharik was laid down in 1988, but was later halted for lack of funding. There was an attempt to attract the US investments to finish the sub, however the Americans refused. Work on the project resumed after President Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000. He assigned high priority to the task of reviving the Russian submarine fleet. The design and the construction supervision came from the KB Malahit.
