Russia: Northern Fleet starts removing oldest ballistic missile subs

Time has come for the Russian navy to withdraw from service the last class of Soviet-era strategic submarines. The 36 years old “Ekaterinburg” is first to be sent to scrap. Phase-out, however, will take time and happen over years until all new modern Borei class submarines are delivered from the shipyard in Severodvinsk. “Ekaterinburg” is first of the six Delta-IV subs to be decommissioned some time in 2022, according to state-affiliated news agency TASS. The submarine has been laid-up at the shipyard in Severodvinsk for the last two years, but no formal announcement on decommissioning has been made. The submarine started…