MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The Russian military will take possession of the Borei class ballistic missile submarine Yuri Dolgorukiy in September, a contractor confirmed Friday.
A source inside Russia's United Shipbuilding Corp. told state-run news agency RIA Novosti the ballistic missile system would be handed over during a signing ceremony with the Defense Ministry in September.
The Yuri Dolgorukiy, named after the founder of Moscow, completed sea trials in December. It will become part of the Borei class of eight vessels armed with Bulava missiles, a future component the Russian nuclear weapon triad.
The Russian military this week deployed a regiment armed with the S-400 missile defense system to the port city of Nakhodka in the Far East.
The S-400 system can track multiple targets as far as 370 miles. A regiment contains two battalions that each consists of eight launchers with 32 missiles.
The U.S. military has said that, with conflict in Afghanistan winding down and the Iraq conflict over, its strategic focus would be on the Asia-Pacific region. Moscow, meanwhile, has expressed concern that U.S. plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe would upset the strategic balance in the region.
