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 "Arktika" was withdrawn from service in 2008 after clocking up 175,000 hours of reactor operation time and covering more than 1 million nautical miles.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".
Fyodor Litke (1909 icebreaker)
"Litke" became famous for its Arctic operations in 1932–1935, survived World War II and was retired in 1958 after nearly 50 years of service. Unlike conventional icebreakers that crush ice with their own weight from above, "Litke" belonged to an older generation of vessels, relying on ramming and cutting ice without any downward movement. For this reason, "Litke" was uniquely classified as an "ice-cutter" () or "icebreaking steamship" (), rather than a true icebreaker.