Northern Sea Route. The nuclear icebreaker Sibir has, for the first time ever, escorted an Arc7-class vessel using the so-called “close-coupled towing” method. “This task was professionally very demanding, as it required us to account for the design specifics of both the icebreaker and the vessel, and ensure flawless coordination between the two crews,” said Yakov Antonov, Director General of Atomflot, Rosatom’s nuclear fleet operator. Given the exceptionally late season for navigation in the eastern Arctic sector, preparations for the escort operation began well in advance. Icebreaker captain Konstantin Kelarev and his colleagues rehearsed the procedure on an ice navigation simulator. Currently, eight nuclear icebreakers are operating on the Northern Sea Route. In 2025, 23 transit voyages were completed via the NSR, with the volume of cargo transit increasing by 3.82% to reach a record 3.2 million tonnes. 

Nuclear medicine. A new radiopharmaceutical drug, Rakurs 223Ra, has entered the Russian market. Its active component is the radionuclide radium-223 manufactured by Rosatom. All technologies for manufacturing this valuable isotope, developed by Russian nuclear scientists, are patented. The drug will be used to treat certain types of cancer, primarily bone metastases. According to medical assessments, patients receiving this treatment can expect sustained remission, reduced pain, and improved quality of life. The first batch of the medication has already been delivered to medical institutions across the country. Rosatom is scaling up production of a broad range of medical equipment and radiopharmaceuticals, working to build a comprehensive system for delivering advanced nuclear medicine care. 

Collaboration. Rosatom and Namibia have discussed ways to advance cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. During the meeting, Nikolai Spassky, Rosatom’s Deputy Director General for International Relations, and Namibia’s Minister of International Relations and Trade, Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, discussed, among other topics, joint projects in uranium mining and preparations for signing a framework intergovernmental agreement. Both parties confirmed mutual interest in deepening collaboration and agreed to maintain regular working contacts. Throughout 2025, Rosatom signed new cooperation agreements for nuclear new build projects in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and memoranda of understanding with Myanmar, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.

Construction sites abroad. December marked a historic milestone in Bangladesh as nuclear fuel loading began at Rooppur Unit 1. Over in Egypt, the reactor pressure vessel for El Dabaa Unit 1 was successfully lowered into its design position. Progress continued in Türkiye with the November delivery of the reactor pressure vessel for Akkuyu Unit 4. All necessary permits were issued for the first concrete pouring at the Hungarian Paks Unit 5. In Uzbekistan, excavation work started for the reactor building of the first nuclear power plant with the RITM-200N small modular reactor to be built overseas by Rosatom. New cooperation agreements for nuclear new build were signed with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and memoranda of understanding established with Myanmar, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.

Generation IV. Rosatom is a global leader in advancing Generation IV nuclear power projects. In Seversk, construction work is underway on an innovative power unit with a lead-cooled fast-neutron reactor, BREST-OD-300. In 2025, workers installed the metal shell of the reactor’s central cavity—which will house the nuclear fuel—and positioned the surrounding peripheral cavity shells. Concurrently, the first-of-its-kind nuclear fuel was manufactured for this reactor, and an analytical simulator for the power unit was commissioned. Another pioneering Generation IV project is a nuclear energy facility with the BN-1200M sodium-cooled fast reactor. Preparations for its construction are now underway, and a site has been designated for the associated fuel fabrication plant.

Northern Sea Route. In November, the keel was laid for the sixth Project 22220 multi-purpose nuclear icebreaker, Stalingrad, while the commissioning of the fourth icebreaker of the same design, Chukotka, is planned for 2026. A total of eight nuclear icebreakers now service the Northern Sea Route, four of which belong to the most advanced Project 22220 series. A record 24 transit container voyages on the NSR were completed in 2025, up from 14 the previous year. The total volume of transit cargo grew by 3.82% to a new high of 3.2 million metric tons. A landmark event was the successful completion of the first-ever transit container voyage from China to Europe via the Northern Sea Route.