However, the Russian Navy decided not to accept the St. Petersburg class after it was discovered that the boat's propulsion and sonar systems were inadequate.

[5] Sankt Peterburg is first boat of Rubin Design Bureau's Lada class, of which a total of eight were expected to be procured by the Russian Navy.

[3] Amid a severe shortage of funds experienced during the 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union,[6] the keel of Sankt Peterburg was laid down on 26 December 1997, in Saint Petersburg by Admiralty Shipyard.

[7][8] As of 25 February 2008, Sankt Peterburg was part of the 13th Brigade of Ships Under Repair and Construction (military unit number 22875), Leningrad Naval Base.

[11] Despite having been commissioned, in November 2011 the Russian Navy decided that the St. Petersburg class would not be accepted into service, as Sankt Peterburg had fallen far short of requirements during trials.

[4] According to Izvestia, the main drawback was the propulsion unit's inability to produce half of the expected power, along with the inefficiency of the sonar system.

[17] In April 2020, the boat was reported undergoing new trials in the Baltic to prepare for her return to the Northern Fleet where her role in protecting the SSBN force was described as "vital".