Russia to scrap Cold War-era nuclear submarines

MOSCOW, May 21 (UPI) -- Russia will decommission and scrap two Cold War-era nuclear submarines, a navy official said Tuesday.

The official told RIA Novosti the submarines, among the largest ever made, are too old to remain on active duty and too expensive to retrofit. The Typhoon class vessels both carry nuclear missiles and are based in the White Sea. The Russian navy said they would be withdrawn by year's end and will begin to be dismantled.

They will be replaced by Borey class submarines, the navy official said, and will carry the nation's new Bulava submarine-launched missile system.

The decommissioned submarines were built in the 1980s.