A Russian submarine that just left Cuba is 'falling apart' with its soundproofing panels falling off

Russian Marines standing guard on top of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan at Havana's harbor, Cuba, on June 12, 2024. YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images

• Russian naval ships left Cuba on Monday after a five-day official visit.
• Among them, the submarine Kazan — with visible damage including panels falling off.
• Though a shabby look, it won't affect the sub's performance, experts told BI.

One of Russia's most advanced new submarines, which just left Cuba, is "falling apart" with damage on its hull, according to an OSINT analyst.

Marijn Markus, a managing consultant at the Capgemini IT firm, shared four photos of the nuclear-powered Kazan in a LinkedIn post on Monday.

Markus pointed to soundproofing panels "falling off" the front part of the submarine's hull. That would ruin its stealth capabilities, he said, making it "very" loud underwater and causing it to light up on sonar.

He also pointed to what he described as a "gaping" hole at the sub's midsection.

"While docked, Russian divers were seen around the sub, presumably trying to repair the tin tub," he said.

Markus didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

However, military experts told BI that the damage seen in the photos is common and won't affect the sub's operational capabilities.

Richard Kouyoumdjian Inglis, an officer in Chile's naval reserve, told BI that tiles are made of rubber and can get loose and fall off.

Losing lots of the tiles would make the sub easier to find, Inglis said. But the photos showed only a few missing, not enough to make a difference, he said.

"Russian naval vessels are not state-of-the-art and sometimes are not well maintained, but that does not mean something catastrophic will happen," he said.

John Hardie, the deputy director of the Russia program at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told BI that such tiles falling off is a "quite common" problem for all navies, including the US.

Meanwhile, Mark C, a former UK Royal Navy submariner who declined to provide his last name, citing work-related cross-overs, said the vessel did seem to suffer operational wear-and-tear but remained capable of performing its role.

"So it's very possible it will continue its exercises," he told BI.

The Kazan, along with three Russian surface ships, left Havana's port in Cuba on Monday after a five-day official visit that included planned military drills in the Atlantic, per the Associated Press.

Its next destination is unclear, though US officials said a few days ago it could stop in Venezuela, according to the AP.

The US and its Western allies have been concerned about the relatively new Kazan class of submarines for years.

They cite its ability to strike targets both on land and at sea with little notice, and its stealth.

An unnamed US official said Russia sending warships to Cuba was an attempt to show its navy is still a global power despite its heavy losses in the sea around Ukraine, the AP reported earlier this month.

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