Russia is working on a secret military project codenamed "Skythen" to station nuclear missiles on the seabed, German broadcasters WDR and NDR reported on 21 May 2026 after a months-long investigation, according to tagesschau.
The project would let Russia hide ballistic missiles at depths of several hundred meters and remotely activate them, the broadcasters said, citing Western intelligence sources. Hidden launch platforms would be hard for NATO to detect or strike in wartime.
What investigators uncovered
WDR and NDR analyzed satellite imagery, Russian scientific databases, and historical documents, and spoke to military officers and experts during the investigation, the broadcasters said. Intelligence services have been monitoring a Russian ship called the "Zvezdochka" in connection with the project.
The "Zvezdochka," a 96-meter, 18-meter-wide specialized vessel, is based in Severodvinsk, a shipbuilding city in northwest Russia on the White Sea, WDR and NDR reported. It is built to move heavy equipment on the open sea with cranes and loading ramps, including in icy northern waters. A special submarine called "Sarov" may also be used in the project.
The "Skif" missile
NATO has identified the missile being developed for the project as the "Skif," a modified version of the "Sineva" missile that arms Russian submarines, WDR and NDR reported. "Skif" missiles can reportedly be launched from the seabed and have a range of up to several thousand kilometers.
First tests are said to have taken place several years ago. Viktor Bondarev, former commander-in-chief of Russia's Aerospace Forces, told a Russian news agency in 2017 that "Skif missiles, which hide on the seabed, are part of the arsenal of the Russian armed forces."
Strategic rationale and Cold War precedent
Helge Adrians, a naval officer and guest scientist at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), said the seabed approach would let Russia maintain nuclear deterrence with fewer submarines. "Positioning intercontinental missiles on the seabed and keeping them operational has two significant advantages, in my view," Adrians told WDR and NDR. "First, neutralizing them appears very difficult. Second, this procedure offers the possibility of saving submarines and their personnel."
The Pentagon studied a similar concept in 1980 under the codename "Orca," with a model sketch of a missile silo anchored at the seabed that would detach, rise to the surface, and release the missile in case of war, WDR and NDR reported.
The US military ultimately abandoned the idea, citing difficulties in transmitting data to missiles at the seabed or testing their readiness without revealing their location, the broadcasters said.
Treaty restrictions and responses
A 1971 international treaty, the Seabed Treaty, prohibits the emplacement of nuclear weapons on the seabed in international waters, but does not cover a state's own coastal regions. The "Skythen" project would involve placement in Russian waters, the broadcasters said.
NATO and Russia's defense ministry declined to comment on the project; the Russian embassy in Berlin said it had no information about the matter.
