Of the ten civilian nuclear-powered vessels[not verified in body] built by Russia or the Soviet Union, six were of this type.

On July 3, 1971, construction began on a conceptual design of a larger nuclear icebreaker, dubbed Arktika, in the Baltic Shipyard in then Leningrad.

[citation needed] As the leading vessel in Russia's second nuclear icebreaker class, Arktika became the classification name for five icebreakers to follow: the Sibir in 1977, Rossiya in 1985, Sovetskiy Soyuz in 1989, the Yamal in 1992[7] and the 50 Let Pobedy in 2007.

[9] Arktika and the entire Arktika-class icebreaker fleet are outfitted with two OK-900A reactors, which deliver 171 MW each.

They are shielded by water, steel, and high density concrete, and ambient radiation is monitored throughout the ship by 86 sensors.

[10] The chain reaction can be stopped in 0.6 seconds by the full insertion of safety rods.

Arktika also carries four spare blades along with the appropriate diving equipment and tools so that propeller repairs may be made at sea; the operation can take anywhere from one to four days depending on the extent of the damage.