Powerful explosions occurred during Russian Pacific Fleet exercises involving a nuclear submarine

Explosions were reported in Russian waters in Peter the Great Bay near Volchinetz in Primorsky Krai with witnesses recording a column of smoke rising from the sea in an area associated with operations of Russia's Pacific Fleet According to monitoring channel Supernova residents of Volchinetz captured footage showing smoke over the water following the reported blasts. The exact cause of the incident remains unknown and neither the Russian government nor the Pacific Fleet has publicly commented on what happened or whether any military equipment was involved. The explosions came less than a week after Russia's Pacific Fleet conducted major live-fire exercises involving some of its most heavily armed naval assets. During the August 20th drills the Varyag guided missile cruiser the nuclear-powered submarine Omsk and a Bastion coastal missile system carried out missile launches against simulated maritime targets. The Omsk is a Russian K-186 nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine belonging to the Project 949A class known to NATO as the Oscar II class. It has served with Russia's Pacific Fleet submarine forces since 1994. During the recent exercise Omsk remained in its original weapons configuration and conducted a salvo launch of P-700 Granit heavy anti-ship cruise missiles against a maritime target approximately 300 km away. The submarine was designed around 24 launchers for the massive Soviet-era Granit missile. A deep modernization concept known as Project 949AM would replace those launchers with universal systems capable of carrying as many as 72 caliber Oniks or Zircon missiles dramatically expanding the number and variety of weapons an upgraded submarine could deploy. Omsk is also equipped with six forward torpedo tubes, including four 533 mm tubes and two larger 650 mm tubes. As of August 2026, Russia retains six project 949A submarines on its fleet lists, although their operational condition and modernization status vary. Previously, Russia has carried out rare missile drills involving naval vessels and a ground-based launcher near the disputed Southern Kuril Islands, adding to already heightened tensions with Japan. Russia's Pacific Fleet said missiles were launched from a nuclear-powered submarine, >> [music] >> a missile cruiser, and a Bastion coastal defense system operating in the area of the Southern Kurils. The fleet did not specify when the exercises took place. According to the Russian military, the missiles were fired at targets located more than 300 km, or about 186 mi, away and successfully struck them. The Pacific Fleet did not disclose the exact location of the drills. Russia has, however, deployed Bastion coastal defense batteries on Iturup, known in Japan as Etorofu, since 2016. The exercises drew a sharp reaction from Tokyo. Russia's military buildup on the four northern islands runs counter to Japan's position and is unacceptable, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters. The Southern Kuril Islands have remained under Russian control since [music] Soviet forces seized them from Japan in the final days of World War II. Tokyo continues to claim Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and the Habomai islets, collectively referring to them as the Northern Territories. The missile drills came only days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the disputed territory, traveling to Iturup last week. Japan formally protested that visit as well. The long-running territorial dispute has [music] prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty since World War II. The latest military activity also comes as Japan continues to support Ukraine against Russia's war of aggression, including through sanctions on Moscow.