Nuclear icebreaker's secret accident revealed

The remains of a nuclear accident involving the Lenin, the world's first nuclear icebreaker, lie under the Kara Sea. The incident, which occurred in 1965, was kept secret for decades until a government report called the White Book was published in 1993.

Coolant loss caused severe damage

In February 1965, the Lenin suffered a coolant loss in one of its reactors. This fluid is used to remove heat from the nuclear core to prevent overheating. The accident led to the deformation of about 60% of the fuel elements due to excessive heat.

Fuel was disposed of in the sea

Soviet engineers removed the damaged fuel, along with support structures and control rods, and packaged them in containers. These were sunk in Tsivolki Bay in 1967. The Lenin’s reactor compartment was later submerged in Sedova Bay, while its screen compartment, containing used fuel, was also placed in Tsivolki Bay.

Multiple reactors were submerged over decades

Between 1965 and 1988, 16 reactor vessels were submerged in the Kara Sea, with six of them still containing damaged fuel. The Lenin’s original reactor compartment was replaced in 1970 with new reactors, but the old parts remained underwater.

Lenin continued service despite the accident

Despite the 1965 accident, the Lenin continued to operate for another two decades. It was decommissioned in 1989 due to hull wear from repeated contact with Arctic ice and later became a museum ship in Murmansk in 2005.

Soviet nuclear waste legacy in the Kara Sea

The Lenin is one example of the Soviet Union’s approach to nuclear waste. According to the organization Bellona, the Kara Sea contains about 17,000 radioactive containers, 19 ships, 14 reactors, and 735 contaminated machines, some of which still hold used fuel.

Russia plans to retrieve Cold War submarines

The Russian government has announced plans to retrieve the submarines K-27 and K-159 starting in 2027, as part of efforts to restore the Arctic seas. A budget of 30 billion rubles over three years has been proposed, but some analysts question whether the funding will be fully realized.

Legacy remains under the sea

While preparations for the retrieval of these submarines are underway, the Lenin’s reactors and other submerged nuclear waste continue to rest silently under the waters of the Kara Sea, far from public awareness.