Soviet K-219 submarine operations in the Atlantic

During the autumn of 1986, at the height of the Cold War's nuclear parity, the Soviet Navy maintained a strategic presence in the Atlantic Ocean to ensure a retaliatory or preemptive strike capability. A key component of this naval deterrent was the Project 667A Navaga (NATO Yankee I class) submarines, equipped with R-27 ballistic missiles.

To minimize flight time to American military and industrial centers, these vessels operated in the deep waters of the Sargasso Sea and near the Bermuda archipelago. This positioning placed them within ten to fifteen minutes of their targets, but also within a high-density zone of American anti-submarine forces, including the SOSUS hydroacoustic detection system and P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft.