Russian submarine Yury Dolgorukiy K - 535 Yuriy Dolgorukiy is the first " Borei " - class ballistic missile submarine of the Project 955 in service with the Russian Navy . Named after the founder of Moscow , Yuri Dolgoruki , it was laid down on November 2 , 1996 and was first planned to enter service in 2001 . However , the R - 39M missile that the Borei class was supposed to carry was abandoned after several failed tests , and the submarine was redesigned for the Bulava missile . Bulava missile is smaller than the original R - 39M , and in the 2007 START treaty data exchange it was reported that all Borei - class submarines would carry 16 missiles instead of 12 , as originally intended . As of January 2013 the submarine is active with the Russian Navy . Deployment . The submarine was rolled out of its construction hall into a launch dock on 15 April 2007 in Severodvinsk , when it was about 82 % complete . The Russian government has allocated nearly 5 billion rubles , or 40 % of the Navy ' s 2007 weapons budget , for the completion of the submarine . Some doubts about the conditions in which the boat was launched were expressed to the Russian press by workers and managers at the Sevmash plant , where the construction was taking place . Specifically , workers noted that welding of the submarine ' s outer hull was in some places unfinished . There was some speculation that " Yuriy Dolgorukiy " would be rushed through the rest of its production and testing phases in order to be ready for the 2008 Russian presidential elections . Much of the ship ' s equipment remained uninstalled and untested , a process that would normally take over a year to complete . On 13 February 2008 " Yuriy Dolgorukiy " was finally launched from its floating dock in Severodvinsk where the final outfitting took place . The submarine ' s reactor was first activated on 21 November 2008 . and the submarine began its sea trials on 19 June 2009 . Sea Trials . In July 2010 the ship passed the first of several company sea trials , in which navigation systems , buoyancy control system , and some other characteristics were tested at sea . All company tests were completed by the end of September 2010 and she was then preparing for state trials . Initially was planned conduct the first torpedo launches during the ongoing state trials in December 2010 and then in same month conduct the first launch of the main weapon system , R - 30 ( RSM - 56 ) Bulava missile . The plan was then postponed to mid - summer 2011 due to ice conditions in White Sea It was expected to be commissioned to Russian Pacific Fleet in the first half of 2011 , but in December 2010 it was announched that the submarine had technical defects and would be laid up for repairs . The work will take at least six months , and after this the submarine would continue the Bulava missile tests and could be ready for active duty by the later half of 2011 . On 7 June 2011 the submarine left the Sevmash shipyard to continue sea trials and on 28 June the first SLBM ( RSM - 56 Bulava ) was successfully launched . On 12 January 2012 it was reported the submarine had successfully finished state trials and that it would get ready for commissioning within the next couple of months . It was later reported that both the " Yuri Dolgorukiy " and the " Alexander Nevsky " would enter service in the summer of 2012 . Dmitry Rogozin later confirmed that the submarine will be transferred to the Russian navy on July 29 , 2012 . The Yury Dolgoruky submarine was expected to join the Russian Navy by the end of this year , but tests carried out during the latest sea trials revealed a number of technical flaws . Software glitches in the automated launch control system prevented further tests of the Bulava ballistic missile , the submarine ’ s main weapon . “ We are expecting the " Yury Dolgoruky " submarine to enter service in 2013 , ” Serdyukov told Russian lawmakers at a meeting on defense issues . The second Borey class submarine , the " Alexander Nevsky " , could join Russia ’ s Pacific Fleet in 2014 , the minister said . Sevmash shipyard claimed RUR 30 mln from Russian defense ministry for non - accepting " Yury Dolgoruky " because it has to maintain the submarine , since defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov decided to postpone commissioning of the sub and , therefore , defrayal of all maintenance expenditures . According to the source , non - accepting of the submarine is related to nonavailability of mooring quays , primarily at Kamchatka where first two Borei - class subs , " Yury Dolgoruky " and " Alexander Nevsky " will be stationed . Finally the " Yury Dolgoruky " joined Russian Navy on 10 January 2013 . The official ceremony of raising the Russian Navy colors on the submarine was led by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu . The Defense Minister , speaking via video - link , informed the President ( Vladimir Putin ) that St . Andrews ensign has been raised on the submarine , symbolically marking its introduction into the Russian Navy . Commenting on the news on Twitter , Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin , posted : “ Tremble , bourgeoisie ! You ’ re done with ! ” . It will go on full fledge combat duty in early 2014 after a series of exercises .