Russia: Combat icebreaker Ivan Papanin in Severomorsk

On 31 March 2025, the "Ivan Papanin", Russia's first "combat icebreaker"The ship returned to its home port of Severomorsk after it was observed leaving the Baltic Sea on 25 March. According to information from the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, the ship is to carry out ice trials over the next three months near Franz Josef Land, the archipelago between Svalbard and Severnaya Zemlya about 1,000 kilometres north of Murmansk.

Russian combat icebreaker "Ivan Papanin". Photo: Michael Nitz

The "Ivan Papanin" is not a classic icebreaker, but a patrol vessel assigned to the navy, which has an ice class of at least Arc6 has. This means the ability to break ice up to a thickness of 1.6 metres. She was laid down on 19 April 2017 as the first ship of Project 23550 and launched on 25 October 2019. She began sea trials in the Baltic Sea at the end of June 2024 (Russia: Combat icebreaker undergoing sea trials). The technical data of project 23550 (Arktika) are as follows: Length 114.5 metres, width 19.5 metres, draught 6.5 metres, displacement approximately 8,500 tonnes. The ship is equipped with a diesel-electric propulsion system, the two propulsion electric motors each deliver 6,300 KW on two shafts. In addition to a 76.2 mm gun and two machine gun emplacements and Manpads Igla for air defence, it has the option of integrating containerised Kalibr cruise missile systems. The helicopter landing deck and hangar are designed for a Kamov Ka-27, and the equipment includes modern ESM (Electronic Support Measures) and ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) systems for detection and jamming as well as four KT-216 decoy launchers forward and aft on both sides of the aircraft. A variable depth sonar can be seen amidships on the starboard side. Several boat loading bays allow the use of RHIBs, but also two high-speed patrol boats of the Raptor type (project 03160) and a Manul air cushion landing craft (project 23321). A striking feature of the aft deck is the stern platform fendered with a rubber bead.

Deployment concept and strategic importance

The "Ivan Papanin" is more than just a conventional icebreaker. Its potential range of tasks includes:

• Patrol and surveillance tasks: The ship will be able to monitor shipping traffic and control important trade routes - especially those that are being opened up by climate change, such as the Northeast Passage (Russian: Northern Sea Route, NSR).
• Rescue and relief operations: Thanks to its robust design and additional equipment, the ship is able to provide rapid and effective support in emergency situations and supply remote facilities in the Arctic. According to Russian descriptions, this also includes fire-fighting operations - in the event of a fire in the Arctic.
• Transport and supply operations: The ship is intended to ensure a permanent presence in the far north by providing logistical supplies to remote research stations and military facilities.

Changing Arctic 

Climate change is leading to a changed ice landscape in the Arctic, which on the one hand opens up new economic opportunities - for example through shorter trade routes and access to previously untapped raw material deposits, but on the other hand also brings with it far-reaching geopolitical challenges. This is where the combat icebreaker "Ivan Papanin" becomes a state-of-the-art maritime instrument by combining the traditional tasks of an icebreaker with those of a patrol and towing vessel. Even though only half of last year's Kremlin target of 80 million tonnes of goods on the Northern Arctic route was achieved, the economic and strategic importance of this sea route is undisputed. The official target for the development of the Northern Sea Route envisages a doubling of the previously planned freight rate by the end of 2030 and a further increase to 220 million tonnes by 2035. This includes an increased presence on the global market for liquefied natural gas, which is to be extracted in the Arctic region. Russia maintains seven nuclear icebreakers and the only Arctic nuclear cargo ship, the "Sevmorput", for this purpose.

In military terms, the new "Arktika" class as a "universal combat icebreaker" offers the advantage of having a veritable warship with long endurance for use in high latitudes. Russia is obviously planning to build a "large" number of similar ships with modern weapons systems - with cruise missiles and artillery, anti-aircraft missiles and electronics.

The sister ship of the "Ivan Papanin", the "Nikolai Zubov", is at an advanced stage of construction. The Vyborg shipyard is building two identical units, the "Purga" and the "Dzerzhinsky", for the FSB, the Russian domestic intelligence service, under the code name "Ermak". With the same external appearance, they will also differ only slightly from the "Ivan Papanin" in terms of their armament. As things stand at present, however, no missiles are planned for this version.

Russian combat icebreaker "Ivan Papanin". Photo: Michael Nitz

Moscow is serious

The "Ivan Papanin" demonstrates how Russia is meeting the changing challenges in the Arctic region with state-of-the-art shipbuilding, modern technology and a versatile deployment concept. Strategically, the "Ivan Papanin" symbolises Moscow's will to assert its sovereignty and strategic interests in the far north. International think tanks paint a picture in which Russia uses the Arctic region not only as a raw materials and transport zone, but also as the theatre of a new global power politics. The combat icebreaker is a further step towards the militarisation of the Arctic. Other Arctic states must not just stand by and watch - however, the takeover of Canada and the purchase of Greenland by the USA should not be seen as valid solutions!

Text: Uwe Mergener, Michael Nitz, ajs