Video: Russian Nuclear Icebreaker Damaged in Collision
The Russian nuclear icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy (50 Years of Victory) has collided with a freighter in the Kara Sea, causing extensive damage to her bow.
Video circulating on Russian social media appears to show that the icebreaker was maneuvering in close quarters when her port bow made contact with the freighter's port side, next to the base of a cargo crane. The impact left a large gash on 50 Let Pobedy's port bow, above the waterline.
Russian media report that a Russian icebreaker 50 Years of Victory has collided with a dry cargo ship in the Kara Sea on January 26.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) January 28, 2025
The icebreaker suffered damage to the left side hull, Russian media reported but promised everything was fine. See damage on second image.
With… https://t.co/uxnRqXrxk1 pic.twitter.com/XL0DnHcsI4
The incident occurred January 26 while 50 Let Pobedy was attempting to free the bulker from the ice, according to Interfax.
"No one was hurt. Seaworthiness has not been lost. There is no threat to the life support systems or the reactor installation," state atomic agency Atomflot said in a statement, adding that 50 Let Pobedy continues to operate as normal.
The location and the identity of the other vessel were not specified.
50 Let Pobedy is one of six first-generation Arktika-class icebreakers designed in the closing days of the Soviet Union. She was launched in 1993, but lay incomplete for 10 years during Russia's chaotic transition to a market economy, and was only finished in 2007. Only two vessels of her class remain in service; a new class, also named Arktika-class, is entering service to replace them.