AMAZING: Putin Parades massive Soviet era Submarine amid Ukraine war

K-3 Leninsky Komsomol is the first-ever Soviet nuke submarine.

A massive Soviet-era nuclear submarine nicknamed 'Whale' has been paraded through the streets of Russia. The 3000-ton vessel which measures 352 ft, made its way through kronstadt, close to saint Petersburg on October 14th. Russia state broadcaster showed the remarkable journey through the city amid a raging war with Ukraine. The K-3 Leninsky Komsomol, which was the Soviet Union first ever nuclear submarine will not be transformed into a museum.

Only the world's third submarine the K-3 Leninsky Komsomol was powered by two water cooled reactors. The vessel had become potent symbol of the USSR's underwater military capabilities.

The K-3 what's prototype in wood and built-in Molotovsk before it was sent to see for the first time in 1957. The vessel was commissioned the following year as part of the Soviet Navy northern fleet.

In 1962, the K-3 became the first Soviet submarine to reach the North Pole underwater, 4 years after the USS Nautilus. In recognition of the North Pole achievement, the submarine was given the title Leninsky Komsomol and it's captain Lev Zhiltsov was awarded the title of "hero of the Soviet Union"  for the mission, the highest awarded in the USSR. 

At the height of the Cold war in 1967, the K-3 was tasked  with following a US ballistic missile submarine.

Shockingly, in 1971,a fire broke out in the vessel's hydraulic system while navigating the Norwegian sea, as a result, carbon dioxide gas filled two compartments killing 39 crew members.

An investigation later discovered a cigarette lighter, suggesting that the fire was started by smoking. The submarine was repaired and returned to service, before it was retired in 1988 after 30 years of service.

Later, the vessel was moved to the Nerpa shipyard in 2005 for renovation from where the submarine was transported to kronstadt. At the museum of naval glory in kronstadt, The K-3 will be re-equiped and the inner rooms will be restored.

The radioactive reactors have been removed and the hull has been repaired while it was dry docked in the Nerpa shipyard.

 The heavily contaminated reactor compartment and solid radioactive waste of the vessel installed in the coast of the Barents sea.