Росія могла відновити створення балістичних і ядерних ракет на морському дні

Russia may have returned to the development of a secret ballistic missile launch system from the seabed. The activity of a special Russian vessel and NATO’s interest have raised new questions about the “Scythian” project.

Russia might be reviving the idea of a ballistic missile launch platform on the seabed. This is a clandestine state program for launching ballistic missiles from underwater. Russia began developing a similar system in the 1990s. It is likely continuing this work today.

This is reported by The Maritime Executive.

Russia may have revived a secret program for underwater ballistic missile launches

The development is not new. Back in the early 1960s, a team of engineers from General Dynamics’ astronautics division received authorization to implement a similar project. The engineers managed to develop a special capsule intended to be placed on the seabed.

This capsule housed ballistic missiles, and when necessary, the capsule would rise from the water and strike designated targets. This system was named Orca. It was successfully built and tested. However, the program was never implemented, at least in the USA.

A new report from Taggeschau indicates that Russia began developing a conceptually similar system over 30 years ago and may still be engaged in it today.

The main advantage of General Dynamics’ Orca underwater vehicle was its low cost. Being unmanned, its production and maintenance were approximately ten times cheaper than conventional submarine-launched missiles. However, Orca was more vulnerable in combat.

The US Navy did not favor the Orca vehicle, opting instead for a more expensive and effective solution – submarines.

The Russian project, named “KOLSATKA” or sometimes “Scythian,” was long considered lost to history. Russia had not announced any developments regarding “KOLSATKA.” However, events in the far north of the country suggest that the project may be experiencing a revival.

NATO intelligence has taken an interest in the movements of the underwater multi-purpose vessel “Zvezdochka,” one of four special-purpose ships belonging to the secret Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI).

The vessel operates in the closed city of Severodvinsk. Very little is known about the vessel’s design and capabilities. It likely works with GUGI’s deep-sea vehicles and experimental weapons of the Russian Navy, including the nuclear torpedo “Poseidon.”

“Zvezdochka” may also be involved in the secret “Scythian” underwater ballistic missile program.

Helge Adrian of the German institute SWP noted that deploying ballistic missiles on the seabed offers two advantages: they are extremely difficult to destroy, and it allows for savings on submarines and crews.

For Russia, now in its fifth year of war against Ukraine and forced to cut its defense budget due to inflation and dependence on oil prices, such a simple missile solution is very attractive. It would allow them to achieve the desired military effect at a significantly lower cost.

Drawbacks of the “Oreshnik” missile

Recall that during the latest massive shelling of Ukraine, Russia used the ballistic missile “Oreshnik” for the third time. According to Spiegel, citing military analysts, this missile is likely based on the RS-26 “Rubezh” and is capable of releasing up to 36 submunitions.

During attacks, these elements did not contain explosives but caused destruction solely through kinetic energy. Due to the chaotic flight and wide dispersion of unguided submunitions, “Oreshnik” has minimal military value and zero accuracy, and its destructive power without a massive impact is limited.

Despite its low combat effectiveness, the missile is a difficult-to-counter weapon due to the challenges of intercepting it in the final stage. A full downing of “Oreshnik” would require at least 36 anti-missiles from air defense systems. Experts emphasize that the Russian dictator is using the missile exclusively for psychological intimidation and to create the illusion of a “wonder weapon.”

This propaganda effect is extremely costly—up to $50 million per missile, and their stocks are limited: according to Ukrainian intelligence, in 2026, Russia plans to produce only up to six such units.

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