Russia's Main Pacific Fleet Facility for Nuclear Submarines Reportedly Threatened by Tsunami Following Kamchatka Earthquake

TIMEMOMENTS.COM- The strongest earthquake since 1952, with a magnitude of 8.8, was reported by Russian media outlet RBC on July 30, 2025. It occurred off the coast of Kamchatka and the Northern Kuril Islands at 10:30 a.m. local time (2:30 a.m. Moscow time) on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.

The epicenter of the earthquake was reported to be in the Pacific Ocean, 360.9 km northeast of the Russian city of Severo-Kurilsk.

The earthquake triggered several tsunami waves.

In some coastal areas of Kamchatka, Russia, the height could reach 10-15 meters, according to the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

Experts conducted a rapid assessment using numerical modeling.

In the Sakhalin region, the port of Severo-Kurilsk and fishing industry companies were flooded.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that all early warning systems functioned promptly, and casualties were avoided.

“Regarding the tsunami: residents were evacuated from areas in need,” said Peskov (as quoted by TASS).

He noted that the seismic resilience of buildings was also “generally” proven.

However, Timemoments cited Interfax's July 30, 2025 edition, stating that the tsunami threat following the earthquake in Kamchatka had affected most of the Pacific coastline.

In Japan, 2 million people were evacuated from over 220 municipalities along the Pacific coast due to the tsunami threat, reported the Associated Press, citing Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency.

Disaster warnings were also issued in other parts of the Pacific coast, including Zhejiang Province and the Shanghai region in eastern China, Vancouver Island in Canada, the city of Ensenada in Mexico near the US border, Crescent City in California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Although Russia claimed its early warning system functioned properly during the earthquake, according to Ukrainian media outlet TSN on July 30, 2025, Russian military facilities were apparently threatened by the tsunami.

Russia's Main Pacific Fleet Facility for Nuclear Submarines Reportedly Threatened by Tsunami Following Kamchatka Earthquake

“On the night of July 30, a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, triggering a 4-meter-high tsunami,” TSN reported.

"According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake's epicenter was located 126 km southeast of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, at a depth of 19.3 km.

The earthquake's tremors were felt in several regions of Russia's Far East," the Ukrainian media outlet added.

Sergei Lebedev, Russia's Emergency Minister, confirmed that a 3-4-meter-high tsunami was recorded in several areas of Kamchatka.

According to the region's governor, Vladimir Solodov, the disaster damaged infrastructure, particularly a kindergarten.

Several people were also reported injured due to the earthquake.

In the Northern Kuril Islands, parts of the city of Severo-Kurilsk were reported to be flooded.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, mass evacuations began, and severe traffic congestion occurred on the roads.

Not only that, Russian military facilities are also at risk following the devastating earthquake.

“Russia has issued a tsunami warning for Avacha Bay, where the strategic submarine base Rybachy is located – the main facility of the Russian Pacific Fleet for nuclear submarines,” wrote TSN.

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