Russia’s new combat icebreaker built for Arctic dominance

Russia’s new combat icebreaker, known as the Project 23550 Ivan Papanin, has embarked on factory sea trials, signaling Russia’s intensified strategic focus on the Arctic amid an emerging New Cold War.

This month, The War Zone reported the icebreaker is designed not only to navigate through ice but is also armed and has the potential to be equipped with cruise missiles.

The vessel, constructed at the Admiralty Shipyards in St Petersburg, was initially scheduled for commissioning in 2023 but has faced delays, partly due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, The War Zone report said.

The Ivan Papanin’s armament includes an AK-176MA 76mm gun and can be fitted with containerized launchers for Klub and Kalibr cruise missiles, which would significantly enhance its combat capabilities.

Russia has a growing fleet of around 40 icebreakers and ice-capable ships, including the unique Project 23550 class specifically designed for combat and breaking through ice up to 5.5 feet thick.

Russia’s introduction of the Ivan Papanin into its icebreaker fleet reflects its more extensive Arctic interests and military strategy, driven primarily by multifaceted and interrelated economic and security concerns.

In a March 2020 article for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Heather Conley and other writers mention that Russia’s military presence in the Arctic seeks to enhance homeland security by acting as a forward line of defense against foreign incursion as the region attracts increased international investment, secure Russia’s economic future and create a staging ground for power projection in the North Atlantic.

Conley and others say that the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a 5,600-kilometer-long waterway stretching from the