Russia has the only operational nuclear icebreaker fleet in the world. This was reported by the British publication The Telegraph.
The article states that the Russian fleet has four modern vessels of project 22220 ("Arktika", "Sibir", "Ural", and "Yakutia"). Russia also possesses two giants of the "Arktika" class ("Yamal" and "50 Years of Victory") and two small-tonnage vessels of the "Taimyr" class. "No one compares to the Russian nuclear fleet," British journalists acknowledged.
For comparison, the newspaper cited Finland, Canada, and Sweden, which each have one powerful icebreaker, while the United States has only two outdated vessels. China is building an icebreaker fleet, but it is evidently far from matching Russia. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has only two icebreakers.
The Telegraph columnist Tom Sharp stated that the Russian fleet is unique in that all eight icebreakers operate simultaneously "in the harshest conditions." "This is impressive," the author admitted.
The specialist explained that a nuclear fleet is necessary for Russia given the pressure of sanctions. Icebreakers can pave the way for tankers delivering oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and minerals. In turn, the sale of energy resources supports the Russian economy.
At the end of November, U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that the U.S. has significantly fewer icebreakers than Russia. Trump noted that such an unflattering situation for the United States is ridiculous.
