Russia has left the plants where nuclear submarines are being built unprotected
Russia has withdrawn a significant portion of its S-300 and S-400 air defense systems, which had been protecting the shipbuilding facilities in Severodvinsk. That is where nuclear submarines for the Russian Navy are being built.
According to available information, the level of protection for strategically important facilities has significantly decreased following the redeployment of these air defense systems. The plants in Severodvinsk are key enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex, where nuclear submarines are built.
At least two dozen S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems have been withdrawn from two key defensive positions in the north of the country due to a shortage of missiles and the need to strengthen air defense in other regions.
This weakening of defenses has affected the security of Severodvinsk, home to the Sevmash and Zvezdochka shipyards. “Sevmash” is Russia’s only enterprise that builds nuclear submarines, while the neighboring “Zvezdochka” facility handles their repair and modernization.
Since the Cold War, the 1528th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment, part of the Leningrad Military District, has been responsible for guarding these facilities. However, the latest satellite data indicates that the defensive positions on Yagry Island and Mironova Gora have effectively been dismantled.
Two batteries were located on Yagry Island, where S-300 launchers were previously deployed. Currently, the forward position appears abandoned: the radar stations used for target illumination and missile guidance, as well as containers for storing spare ammunition, have disappeared from the site.
A similar situation is observed on Mironova Mountain, located 12 km from the shipyards. As recently as 2024, there were eight S-300 launchers on combat alert there, along with target illumination radars, all of which had completely disappeared from images taken in 2025–2026.
The deaths of servicemen from this regiment in the combat zone likely confirm the redeployment of forces. In particular, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Spiridonov, commander of an S-400 battalion from Severodvinsk, was killed in occupied Crimea in late April 2024.
The officer’s obituary confirmed his service in the 1528th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment and his death while carrying out missions during the so-called “special military operation.” The lieutenant colonel was buried in a cemetery near an abandoned position on Mironova Mountain.
Previously, the deployment of forces from other regions to defend Crimea had also been documented in other areas. In late 2023, Bellingcat investigators confirmed the transfer of S-400 batteries to Rostov-on-Don and Crimea from the Kaliningrad region.
This redeployment is taking place amid regular strikes by Ukrainian drones on infrastructure deep within Russian territory.
This was reported by the Barents Observer, citing an analysis of satellite imagery from 2024–2026.
China and Russia have completed large-scale naval exercises.
Nine EU countries have called for the purchase of air defense missiles for Ukraine using funds from the defense fund.
As a reminder, the U.S. and its NATO allies plan to establish a Patriot missile maintenance center in Europe.
The American company Lockheed Martin and the German defense conglomerate Rheinmetall have agreed to establish joint production of ATACMS tactical missiles in Europe.
