Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin attended a ceremony that saw the second of Russia's new Borei-class 955 nuclear submarines set off for active service.
The "Vladimir Monomakh," capable of carrying 16 of Russia's Bulava Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, left the northern port of Severodvinsk on December 26.
Rogozin said, "Combat ships like this one will be the biggest guarantors of our security, invincibility, and freedom."
Another of the Borei 955 class, the "Yury Dolgoruky, is already in service.
The Sevmash shipbuilder that produces Russia's submarines said the third of the trio -- the "Aleksandr Nevsky" -- would be setting out to sea soon.
At the departure ceremony for the "Vladimir Monomakh," Sevamash announced the start of construction on a third of the Borei-955A submarines -- the "Generalissimus Suvorov."
Construction on the "Knyaz Vladimir" and "Knyaz Oleg" Borei-955A submarines started in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
