Upon the prime minister’s arrival to the submarine, its commander, Captain First Class Vasily Tankovid, reported to Putin that the submarine’s crew was ready to conduct mooring trials to monitor its performance in general and the work of individual units.

“Congratulations on the start of testing,” Putin said to the crew, which was lined up on the deck. They cheered in response.

Then Putin took a look at the opened missile hatches and had his picture taken with the submarine’s emblem.

The nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine Alexander Nevsky is a fourth-generation Borei-class submarine. Work on it began in 2004 and it is scheduled to be deployed in December 2011.

Under the plan, the submarine will be on duty in the Pacific Fleet.