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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon,

I want to congratulate everyone who has gathered here aboard the ship [Pyotr Veliky] and the Yury Dolgoruky on a momentous event. Today the Russian naval ensign was hoisted on the nuclear submarine Yury Dolgoruky. The new missile carrier has passed all tests and has been commissioned into the Navy.

I thank all those who took part in designing, building and testing this formidable ship and express our sincere gratitude to the teams of St Petersburg Rubin and Sevmash, who did most of the work.

Yury Dolgoruky is a nuclear submarine of the new generation. Vessels of this class will become a critical element of the naval component of Russia’s strategic forces, a guarantee of global balance and the security of Russia and its allies.

It is symbolic that all these ships will bear the names of our great ancestors, the defenders and unifiers of Russian lands.

In 2013, the fleet will receive a new Borey class submarine Alexander Nevsky. Vladimir Monomakh has already left the building berths.

Last year, construction began on another strategic Borey class cruiser, Prince Vladimir. It is a warship with greater combat capabilities.

Construction of the fifth and sixth Borey class submarines is also planned for 2013. By 2020, eight such nuclear submarines will be built and commissioned into the Navy.

The modernisation of the fleet is one of our top priorities as part of strengthening the Armed Forces. Over 4 trillion rubles [$130 billion] have been allocated for the State Armament Programme to 2020 for the creation of modern, balanced surface ships and submarines.

By 2020, eight Yasen class multipurpose nuclear-powered submarines will be commissioned into the Navy in addition to eight Borey class strategic submarines, as well as multipurpose diesel submarines.

Sevmash will be the key company executing the orders. This legendary shipyard has already built over 120 nuclear-powered submarines for the Russian Navy.

In conclusion, I would like to thank all those who took part in the creation of the Yury Dolgoruky submarine for their hard work.

”Nuclear submarines will become a critical element of the naval component of Russia’s strategic forces, a guarantee of global balance and the security of Russia and its allies.“

I wish the submarine’s crew every success in their service for the benefit of Russia. I wish you to remain faithful to the glorious traditions of the Navy and Russian submariners.

Mr Shoigu, please.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu: Comrade Commander-in-Chief,

In accordance with the shipbuilding programme, the Project 955 nuclear-powered submarine Yury Dolgoruky has completed the state tests, which have confirmed all the performance characteristics. The acceptance report has been approved. The St Andrew ensign was raised on the cruiser on January 10, 2013 at 14:10. The ship has been commissioned into to the Navy of the Russian Federation. The ship’s deployment has begun.

This was the report by the Defence Minister, Army General Shoigu.

Vladimir Putin: (addressing Navy Commander Viktor Chirkov) Please report to the Defence Minister on the future deployment of Yury Dolgoruky and report to me on the timeframe in which the rest of the submarines will be commissioned, where they will be deployed, and when the cruisers that are currently in service will be decommissioned – the entire programme.

Navy Commander Viktor Chirkov: Comrade Commander-in-Chief, Comrade Defence Minister,

The nuclear-powered submarine Yury Dolgoruky will begin performing L1 tasks followed by L2 tasks. We have allotted 60 days each for the L1 and L2 tasks. After that, the nuclear-powered submarine Yury Dolgoruky will conduct deep-sea testing at a depth of 600 metres and torpedo firing from a great depth. That will be followed by personnel training using L3 tasks with the use of weapons and Yury Dolgoruky will join the constant combat readiness forces. We expect that by the end of the year two Yury Dolgoruky crews will be fully trained. In January 2014, the submarine will become operational.

The next cruiser is part of the procurement order No 202. We have already begun the tests and by the end of the year we plan to finish testing the second nuclear submarine, which will be commissioned into the Navy next year.

We are implementing the shipbuilding programme as approved by the Executive Order of the President of the Russian Federation, and we plan to commission eight Project 955 submarines into the Navy by the end of 2020.

Vladimir Putin: What is your opinion of the weapons?

Viktor Chirkov: The weapons include 16 ballistic missiles capable of striking targets at long range in accordance with design specifications.

We also devoted a great deal of attention to torpedo armaments and the cruiser’s ability to use long-range cruise missiles. Thus, the characteristics stipulated by the design bureau have been fulfilled. We will do all we can to commission all the submarines by the deadlines.

Vladimir Putin: Good. I congratulate you and all the sailors on this event. This is a great event for the Navy. It confirms our commitment to modernise the Army and Navy. This is a great event in the life of the country. This submarine Yury Dolgoruky is a serious, powerful weapon that will guarantee the security of our country and enhances our defence capability. I wish you success.

Viktor Chirkov: Thank you very much.

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