Nuclear-powered icebreaker
On 17 August 1977, NS "Arktika" ("Arctic") became the first surface ship ever to reach the North Pole. "Arktika" was withdrawn from service in 2008 after clocking up 175,000 hours of reactor operation time and covering more than 1 million nautical miles. Rather than be scrapped, there are calls for her to be converted to a museum ship, like her predecessor "Lenin".
Pilot (icebreaker)
With its rounded shape and strong metal hull, "Pilot" had all the main features present in the modern icebreakers, therefore it is often considered the first true icebreaker. Another contender for this title is icebreaker "Yermak", built in England for Russia according to the design of Admiral Stepan Makarov and under his supervision. Makarov borrowed the main principles from "Pilot" and applied them for creation of the first polar icebreaker, which was able to run over and crush pack ice.