On November 18, 2025, a ceremonial keel laying was conducted for the seventh (sixth serial) universal nuclear icebreaker of Project 22220 (LK-60Ya), designated “Stalingrad” (yard number 05714), at the Baltic Shipyard JSC (a subsidiary of the United Shipbuilding Corporation JSC) in St. Petersburg. The client of the icebreaker is FSUE “Atomflot.” President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin participated in the dedication ceremony through a videoconference.
Alongside Vladimir Putin, the event was attended by Igor Rudenya, the authorized representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Northwestern Federal District; Andrey Puchkov, the General Director of USC; and Alexey Likhachev, the General Director of the State Corporation Rosatom. Participating remotely via videoconference were the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Anton Alikhanov, and the Governor of the Volgograd region, Andrey Bocharov, who was present at Mamayev Kurgan in the hero city of Volgograd.
During the ceremony, Great Patriotic War veteran and participant in the Battle of Stalingrad Pavel Petrovich Vinokurov presented a capsule containing soil from Mamayev Kurgan to the General Director of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev. This capsule will subsequently be stored aboard the icebreaker “Stalingrad.”
The nuclear icebreaker Stalingrad (yard number 05714) is the second vessel to be constructed pursuant to the contract signed on February 2, 2023, between FSUE Atomflot and Baltic Shipyard JSC, for the construction of the sixth and seventh (fifth and sixth serial) universal nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 (LK-60Ya). The construction and financing of the fifth and sixth serial universal nuclear icebreakers (UAL) shall be executed on an equal basis, with contributions equally divided between the federal budget and “Atomflot’s” own funds.
Earlier, on January 26, 2024, at the Baltic Shipyard, the first icebreaker commissioned under this contract, Leningrad (yard number 05713)—the sixth (fifth serial) vessel of Project 22220—was cast down. According to the contract, the commissioning of the fifth serial UAL is scheduled for December 2028, while the sixth serial is projected for December 2030.
Previously, on December 29, 2022, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin, signed a government decree regarding budget allocations for the construction of two serial universal nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 during 2023–2030, financed through federal budget appropriations. The governmental client is the State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom,” and the developer (client) is FSUE “Atomflot.” As per the directives, the budget investments from federal appropriations are required to finance 50% of the designated vessel costs, with Atomflot contributing the remaining 50%.
The directive specifies that from 2023 to 2030, budget allocations from federal appropriations will be designated for the construction of the fifth and sixth serial units (i.e., the sixth and seventh overall) of the Project 22220 (LK-60Ya) universal nuclear icebreakers, each with a capacity of 60 MW, with commissioning scheduled for 2028 and 2030, respectively. The estimated construction cost for the fifth serial icebreaker is 56.612082 billion rubles, while that for the sixth is 61.3446884 billion rubles. Therefore, the entire federal budget allocation for their construction during the specified period is established at 58.9783855 billion rubles.
However, in autumn 2023, reports indicated that the construction costs of the fifth and sixth serial nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 could potentially double relative to the contracted amount. Consequently, the Russian government proposed reducing budget allocations for these two vessels by 3.72 billion rubles for the years 2024–2026.
It was also reported that several modifications had been implemented to the electric propulsion systems (EPS) of the fifth and sixth serial nuclear icebreakers of Project 22220 in comparison to the previously supplied EPS for this series. Specifically, the supplier of the propulsion electric motors was replaced, and an alternative component basis was employed for the system’s power elements as a result of sanctions restrictions. Furthermore, drawing from operational experience with the current Project 22220 icebreakers, several modifications were implemented to enhance system reliability, prolong component service life, and improve overall operational resilience.
To date, seven new-generation Project 22220 (LK-60Ya) nuclear icebreakers have been commissioned by FSUE “Atomflot,” all of which are currently under construction at the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg. To date, four icebreakers of this project—”Arktika,” “Sibir,” “Ural,” and “Yakutia” (commissioned between 2020 and 2024)—have been commissioned and are operational, with construction underway for two additional vessels—”Chukotka” (yard number 05712, laid down on December 16, 2020, launched on November 6, 2024) and the previously mentioned “Leningrad.”