Putin to launch new Russian submarine

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin today said he will inaugurate a new nuclear submarine.

The new sub is part of government efforts to bolster Navy morale, which was shaken by the sudden departure of several top admirals over the weekend.

President Putin will visit the Sevmash shipyard in north Russia tomorrow to launch the Gepard submarine.

The same shipyard launched the Kursk, the sub that exploded and sank in August 2000.

Several navy chiefs were disciplined over the weekend after prosecutors found fault with manoeuvres leading up to the Kursk disaster.

The new submarine, the Gepard, is a different type and half the size of the Kursk, at 9,100 tonnes.

It carries an array of supersonic nuclear-tipped cruise missiles and torpedoes and is among the fastest and quietest submarines in the world.