Decommissioning of Russian nuclear-powered vessels

The decommissioning of Russian nuclear-powered vessels is an issue of major concern to the United States and to Scandinavian countries^[1] near Russia. From 1950 to 2003, the Soviet Union and its major successor state, Russia, constructed the largest nuclear-powered navy in the world,^[2] with more ships than all other navies combined:^[3] 248 submarines (91 attack submarines, 62 cruise missile submarines, 91 ballistic missile submarines and four research submarines), four Kirov-class battlecruisers, and a missile test ship,^[1] as well as nine icebreakers.^[4] Many were or are powered by two reactors each, bringing the total to 468 reactors.^[4]

With the end of the Cold War and chronic under-funding of its navy,^[5][6] Russia decommissioned many of these vessels, and according to one November 2008 report, intended to scrap all decommissioned submarines (over 200) by 2012.^[4] However, the safety records of the Soviet and Russian navies and Russian governmental budgetary constraints are matters of great concern. Ships awaiting decommissioning receive little maintenance, and there are insufficient waste storage facilities,^[2] raising worries about possible ecological damage from accidents or improper storage.