MOSCOW, May 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will commission two new strategic nuclear submarines in 2006, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.
"Russia has not built such submarines since 1990," Putin said in his state of the nation address. "They will be armed with Bulava nuclear missiles, which together with Topol-Ms will form the base for the strategic defense forces."
Putin said the two submarines would be the first submarines built in modern Russia.
He added that Russia had five missile regiments equipped with silo-based Topol-M (SS-27) ballistic missiles, and that the first regiment equipped with mobile Topol-M systems will be put on combat duty in 2006.
