The Russian Navy plans to commission the nuclear-powered submarine Perm into the Pacific Fleet by the end of 2026, after sea trials and formal acceptance. Admiral Alexander Moiseyev, the Navy’s commander-in-chief, gave that year-end timetable to President Vladimir Putin during Navy Day events. Perm is a 130-meter Yasen-M class vessel, described as the first submarine of the class designed from the outset to carry Zircon missiles as standard equipment.
Built at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk, Perm is a development of Project 885M, the modernized version of Russia’s Yasen-class nuclear-powered attack submarines. The program aims to strengthen both the Northern and Pacific fleets. Published estimates for the Yasen-M design put submerged displacement at about 13,800 tonnes. They also give a submerged speed of up to 31 knots, endurance of up to 100 days and a maximum operating depth of roughly 600 metres. These are class-level estimates, not boat-specific measurements for Perm.
The Yasen-M design reportedly incorporates a fourth-generation KTP-6 monoblock reactor and a redesigned bow sonar. It also reduces crew requirements and acoustic signatures. Its weapons system has eight universal vertical launchers for combinations of Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles. Later boats such as Perm add Zircon to the armament. The submarine also has torpedo tubes for anti-ship and anti-submarine missions. The precise missile load depends on the operational configuration.
Russian officials describe Zircon as a hypersonic missile capable of striking maritime and land targets. Russian reporting puts its range at around 900 kilometres and describes its speed as several times faster than sound. Officials have also claimed speeds near Mach 9 and ranges exceeding 1,000 kilometres. Those performance figures are official claims. The Yasen-M’s broader combination of Oniks, Kalibr and Zircon is intended to support anti-ship and land-attack missions.
Perm would join an existing Pacific Fleet force, rather than introduce the Yasen family to the region. Information from the Russian Defense Ministry, the submarine Novosibirsk launched Oniks and Kalibr missiles from underwater against sea and land targets during an exercise on 15 October 2026. The exercise illustrates the class’s dual-role missions. Perm’s planned arrival would add a Zircon-capable boat to the fleet.
Russia’s wider Yasen-M program includes five submarines already in Navy service, with additional boats under construction. Perm’s reported commissioning schedule is a military target dependent on completed trials and Navy acceptance, not a civilian regulatory approval. The program aims to distribute newer nuclear attack submarines across Russia’s Northern and Pacific fleets.
Russia is also advancing the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle program. President Vladimir Putin has described Poseidon as being in its final development phase, without specifying a deployment date. Unlike Perm, Poseidon is not part of the Yasen-M weapons fit. It has a separate strategic deterrence role.
Perm’s planned entry into service is part of a broader naval modernization effort, with Russia aiming to receive 21 new vessels by the end of the year. The push for advanced maritime capabilities echoes high-profile investments elsewhere, including in the luxury yacht market, where figures such as Nik Storonsky have drawn attention for ambitious acquisitions. A recent report on a €350 million superyacht lawsuit highlighted that market.
Once Perm completes its trials and joins the Pacific Fleet, it will add to Russia’s underwater strike capabilities. Its planned deployment would bring a Yasen-M submarine designed from the outset for Zircon into a fleet that already operates boats capable of launching cruise missiles against maritime and land targets.
