Russia to resume construction of combat icebreakers

Russia will resume the construction of project 21180/21180M combat icebreakers, the Izvestia newspaper said with reference to sources at the Defence Ministry.

It is planned to build a third diesel-electric ship of project 21180/21180M. The new ship, the newspaper said, will be built for the Northern Fleet by the end of 2027.

According to military expert Dmitry Boltenkov, combat icebreakers can be used not only to break ice, but also to deploy military infrastructure in the Arctic.

"They will also be able to perform rescue missions and patrol the waters of the Northern Sea Route. Helicopters and specialised boats can be based on board such icebreakers. Weapons, military personnel or even Arctic motorized riflemen can be accommodated on board," the specialist said.

Viktor Osipov, captain of project 21180 Ilya Muromets ship, said in October that the icebreaker that was built exclusively for the needs of the Russian Navy for the first time in almost half a century was a highly manoeuvrable ship. The Ilya Muromets icebreaker was launched in St. Petersburg in June 2016.