Vladimir Putin’s Pacific nuclear submarine base was damaged this week by a tsunami caused by a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake, according to satellite imagery.
New images examined by satellite intelligence firms appear to show a pier at the high-security Rybachiy base in Russia’s far east buckled out of shape, apparently torn from its moorings after the huge waves struck on Wednesday.
The secretive base, located in Kamchatka’s Avacha Bay, stores the bulk of Russia’s Pacific Fleet ballistic missile submarines.
Images taken by SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites operated by Umbra Space and seen by experts show the dramatic impact of the tsunami, which reached the coast within 15 minutes of the seabed quake.
One pier, clearly visible in pre-quake imagery dated July 17, now lies twisted at a sharp angle, a structural shift that experts say is consistent with tsunami damage.
A surface vessel appears to have been moored at the time of impact, but there was no submarine alongside.
In spite of that, maritime analysts say the development raises troubling questions about the base’s vulnerability.
Tom Sharpe, a retired Royal Navy commander, told The Telegraph that the pier is at a ‘terrible angle’. He questioned: ‘If the base assumption is that a wave got in there and bent that jetty then yes, what else did it do?’
Satellite image shows the peer before it was damaged by the tsunami
Tsunami waves caused significant damage to ports in Russia after the huge earthquake struck
Two Russian Yasen-class cruise missile submarines docked at the Rybachiy submarine base
Satellite imagery shows a tugboat alongside the damaged section, possibly involved in emergency repairs.
Experts say if a sub had been docked there, it could have slammed against the pier, or water could have entered through open compartments.
The base is nestled around 75 miles west of the epicentre of the earthquake.
While no direct damage to submarines has been confirmed, the extent of structural harm is still unclear.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed the region’s alert system and earthquake-proof infrastructure prevented casualties, but made no mention of the naval base, falling in line with the government’s silence on the matter.
Despite being shielded somewhat by the geography of the bay, the base was within the tsunami’s strike zone.
Footage from elsewhere along the coastline shows waves up to five metres high inundating towns and ports.
Severo-Kurilsk, located twice as far from the epicentre as Rybachiy, suffered severe port damage, heightening fears about what might have occurred within Russia’s nuclear bastion.
Pictures show the devastation caused by the huge earthquake Kamchatka, Russia
The Kremlin has not confirmed the damage, although a spokesperson has claimed the region’s alert system and earthquake-proof infrastructure prevented casualties
In the hours after the tsunami, fresh Umbra images showed two submarines still moored at nearby piers.
Submarines undergoing maintenance are especially vulnerable during tsunamis, unable to dive or escape.
