Western secret services are concerned about a secret Russian military project called "Scythia". The Russians have long been talking about a "superweapon". It is assumed that it involves the deployment of nuclear missiles on the seabed. What is known.
The city of Severodvinsk is located in Northwestern Russia, on the coast of the local White Sea, which is part of the Arctic Ocean. The city has been a famous shipbuilding center since the times of the Soviet Union, ARD reports. Along with other vessels, submarines are also being built there. Severodvinsk is also the home port of a ship that at first glance does not seem unusual. Its name is “Zvezdochka” (”Star”), it is 96 meters long and 18 meters wide.
Investigations by the German media WDR and NDR reveal that NATO secret services have recently been watching the ship with particular attention. Since “Zvezdochka” is a special vessel built for the Russian military, which can transport heavy equipment on the high seas with cranes and ramps, including in the icy waters of the North Sea. Secret service representatives believe that the ship is used for a secret Russian military project called “Skyty” - probably involving the deployment of nuclear missiles on the seabed.
In recent months, German journalists have investigated the project, studied satellite images, Russian scientific data and historical documents, and talked to military personnel and experts. On this basis, they conclude that Russia has probably been working for years to deploy ballistic missiles on the seabed in a previously unknown way. And in the event of war, this would present NATO with challenges - since the missile launch pads hidden underwater would be almost impossible to detect and attack.
There is almost no official information
The name of the military project, about which there is almost no official information to date, is apparently historically connected with the Scythian tribe. And the new Russian nuclear missile “Sarmat”, which was tested last week in Russia, bears the name of the corresponding nomadic people.
Both NATO and the Russian Defense Ministry refuse to provide information to German journalists about the “Scythian” project. According to Helge Adrians, a naval officer and researcher at the “Science and Politics” foundation in Berlin, this project is likely an attempt at more independent action compared to expensive platforms such as submarines or large cruisers. By deploying missile silos on the seabed, Russia would be able to maintain a nuclear deterrent even in times of limited financial resources.
"Deploying intercontinental missiles on the seabed and keeping them ready has two significant advantages", says the military expert. "Firstly, it would be too expensive to neutralize them. Secondly, this procedure provides the opportunity to save on submarines and their personnel. "Russia could achieve the same effect that currently requires manned submarines with relatively less effort and expense," ARD quotes him as saying.
Technical challenges
However, Adrians emphasizes that the technical challenges arising from the seabed and the placement of the shafts, as well as the deployment, provision of energy and data exchange with the missiles are by no means elementary - this is a complex technological process.
As Western secret services suggest, the project apparently envisages the placement of missiles equipped with nuclear warheads in specially constructed shafts or containers hundreds of meters deep on the seabed. There they can remain for a long time and be launched remotely. According to NATO sources, the transport ship “Zvezdochka” is used to place the missiles in the shafts and possibly a special submarine named “Sarov”
ARD explains that in military terms, three types of nuclear weapons are distinguished - the so-called “nuclear triad”. On land - in underground silos or on vehicles; by air - through fighters and bombers; by sea - on warships or submarines. Both the USA, Russia and China have all three types of weapons.
The German public media recalls that other options for deploying nuclear weapons were studied during the Cold War. The idea of hiding them on the seabed is not new: a 1980 Pentagon study mentions the consideration of similar steps - such as in the “Orca” project, including a missile silo that would be anchored to the seabed. In the event of war, it could be activated, reach the surface, and launch the missile from there.
US military analyses
Analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of this type of system, the US military came to the following conclusion: the advantages are durability, low cost and low risk of the system being destroyed by an enemy force. At the same time, it is difficult to transmit data to the missiles on the seabed or even just test their combat readiness without revealing their location.
But if for these reasons the US has apparently refrained from developing such systems, such a project was launched in Russia, and already in the late 1990s - according to internal NATO sources. NATO data state that the missiles for the “Sky”, a modification of the “Sineva” missiles, which have been armed mainly with Russian submarines until now, were also developed for this project. The missiles from the "Scythian" project, which can be launched from the seabed, probably have a range of several thousand kilometers, and the first tests are believed to have been carried out several years ago.
The psychological effect on the enemy
In March 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented six modern weapons systems - "superweapons", including ultrasonic cruise missiles and a giant torpedo with a nuclear engine. Putin said that the enemy would not be able to defend itself against these weapons because they were unique.
Military historian Matthias Uhl told ARD that through these projects Russia is pursuing a dual strategy - in addition to military power, these systems also rely on the psychological effect on the enemy. "Their importance is more in the political discourse - they should cause intimidation and uncertainty abroad," Uhl points out. The concept of "superweapons" has a long tradition in Russia - they are an expression of symbolic power. The nuclear component of many of the "superweapons" further emphasizes this significance.
The Seabed Treaty
Even during the Cold War, there was great concern that nuclear powers could position atomic weapons somewhere on the seabed. Therefore, in 1971, an international treaty was signed prohibiting the deployment of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction on the seabed. This treaty was signed by the United States, the Soviet Union and 80 other countries.
The document remains in force, but it only provides for a ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons in international waters, not in its own waters. And in the case of the "Scythians", we are talking about Russian waters. However, it should be noted that it is not certain whether Russian submarine missiles are actually deployed in the area and whether the design phase has been exceeded. However, as Viktor Bondarev, commander-in-chief of the Russian Air and Space Forces, told a Russian news agency in 2017: “The “Skyty” missiles, which are based on the seabed, are part of the arsenal of the Russian army”.