The source accessed by TASS informed that the vessel will be able to dive to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet) even after repairs. The submarine’s titanium hull, which guarantees the vessel’s ability to dive, was not damaged. The Russian defense ministry stated, following the accident, that although the vessel was powered by nuclear energy, the “nuclear elements” were completely segregated from the fire.

Usually headquartered in Oleniya Bay, Losharik is operated by the Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research, also known as GUGI, a division that reports directly to the Armed Forces General Staff. The sub is believed to be capable of placing and removing minor military installations and equipment from the ocean floor.

The sub is classified as a spy sub. Since this particular submarine remains cloaked in secrecy, the officials and experts in the West have been left to speculate about it.

According to reports, the AS-31 was tested by the Russians in 2012 in the Arctic Ocean down to 6,600-8,200 feet. Conversely, the maximum diving depth that the US Navy’s Los Angeles-class submarine can withstand is 3,000 feet, which is slightly more than one-third of the AS-31’s maximum diving depth. The titanium used to construct the hull of the AS-31 adds even more strength to the vessel.

The AS-31 can displace only 2,100 tons while submerged, making it a small but powerful weapon. In contrast, the Russian Belgorod displaces 17,000 tons. Being just 70 meters long, the AS-31 is so compact that it can be carried by the larger Russian sub, the Delta-III.

Russia is the only country that has a fleet of special mission submarines for espionage and undersea warfare. With the return of Losharik, that capability will be further bolstered at a time when tensions with NATO have touched their zenith and a new flashpoint has emerged in the Arctic.

The Fire Accident That Took Losharik Out Of Action

The Losharik accident occurred on July 1, 2019. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, called the submarine’s mission a “state secret,” which meant that the full scope of events on that fateful day could not be known.

A fire started in the ship’s battery compartment just as the submarine was ready to return from training to its base in Oleniya Bay. There were rumors that the exercise was the final one before a combat deployment.

The submarine was, at the time of the catastrophe, in Motovsky Bay, close to the Rybachii Peninsula and maybe no more than 50 kilometers from the Norwegian border.

The special purpose sub was attempting to communicate with its much larger mother ship, the BS-64, when smoke began to spew out from the compartment housing the batteries.