The project for the atomic icebreaker was developed at TsKB-15 in 1953 and 1955 after the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to build it on November 20, 1953. The goal was to escort convoys along the Northern Sea Route for 6-8 months, and if necessary, up to 12-14 months.

The chief designer of the project was V. I. Neganov, and the atomic installation was designed by Igor Ivanovich Afrikantov. Academic A. P. Alexandrov was appointed as the scientific supervisor of the work. For the icebreakers, the Prometheus Institute developed special grades of hull steel AK-27 and AK-28.

Due to the novelty of the equipment, there were difficulties with the layout of the engine room, so it was decided to create a wooden model. This allowed designers to work out layout solutions, which was easier and cheaper than making changes on the ship under construction.

The vessel was laid down on July 17 or August 25, 1956, at the A. Marti Shipyard in Leningrad. The chief builder was V. I. Chervyakov. The turbines for the vessel were manufactured by the Kirov Plant, the turbo-generators by the Kharkov Electromechanical Plant, and the propeller electric motors by the Leningrad plant 'Electrosila'.

More than 500 enterprises of the Soviet Union developed 76 new types of mechanisms and 150 new samples of equipment specifically for the atomic vessel. The icebreaker was launched on December 5, 1957, and the nuclear power installation was mounted in 1958-1959. The physical launch of the nuclear reactor took place on August 6, 1959, and on September 12, 1959, the vessel went on sea trials under the command of P. A. Ponomaryov.

During construction and trials, many delegations and representatives from various countries visited the icebreaker, including British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon. During its operation, the icebreaker escorted 3,740 vessels and was awarded the Order of Lenin.

On December 3, 1959, the icebreaker was transferred to the Ministry of the Merchant Fleet and from 1960 became part of the Murmansk Sea Shipping Company. The atomic icebreaker 'Lenin' was a smooth-deck vessel with an elongated midship superstructure and two masts. The stern housed a take-off and landing pad for ice reconnaissance helicopters. The nuclear steam-generating installation of the water-water type provided steam for the turbines of four main turbo-generators, which powered three propeller electric motors driving three propellers. The vessel had two autonomous auxiliary power stations and remote control of mechanisms. Good conditions were created for the crew for long Arctic voyages.

Initially, the icebreaker was equipped with three OK-150 reactors, which were replaced in 1967 with OK-900 reactors. Due to its high power and autonomy, the icebreaker demonstrated excellent performance, allowing for an extended navigation period.

Since November 4, 1961, B. M. Sokolov became the captain of the icebreaker. In 1966, a decision was made to replace the old three-reactor installation with OK-150 reactors with a more advanced two-reactor installation with OK-900 reactors due to low maintainability. The old installation was disposed of in the Tsivolki Bay on Novaya Zemlya after fuel unloading. The installation of the new system was completed by 1970.

The icebreaker had good ice passage capability and in the first 6 years of operation covered more than 82,000 nautical miles, escorting over 400 vessels. In total, it covered 654,000 miles, of which 563,600 miles were in ice.

In June 1971, the icebreaker 'Lenin' became the second surface vessel to pass north of the Severnaya Zemlya archipelago, starting its voyage in Murmansk and finishing in Pevek. This prepared the expedition of the icebreaker 'Arktika' to the North Pole in 1977.

The icebreaker 'Lenin' operated for 30 years and was decommissioned in 1989, becoming a permanent exhibit in Murmansk. It now houses a museum, and work is underway to expand the exhibition.

In January 2016, the Minister of Culture of Russia V. R. Medinsky signed an order to include the icebreaker 'Lenin' in the unified state register of cultural heritage monuments of federal significance. After an inspection that concluded in October 2018, the icebreaker was issued a passport granting it the status of a cultural heritage site of federal significance in Russia.

Several incidents related to the operation of the OK-150 reactor installation are mentioned in literature, but their exact classification according to the International Nuclear Event Scale is unknown.

1. In February 1965, during the repair of the pumps of reactor No. 2, there was a brief stop in water circulation, leading to overheating of the active zone and damage to the fuel assemblies. 95 spent fuel assemblies were transferred to the storage of the floating technical base 'Leps', while the remaining 124 fuel assemblies were placed in a container and sunk in the Tsivolki Bay.

2. In September 1965, a leak was discovered in the first circuit of reactor No. 3, which limited the power of the second steam generator.

3. In early 1966, a fire occurred on the icebreaker, destroying cable routes. The consequences were eliminated, and the steam generator was replaced.

4. In the summer of 1966, a new leak was discovered in reactor No. 1, which could not be eliminated without replacing the vessel.

5. In 1967, a leak was recorded in the pipelines of the third circuit on one of the reactors, which required the opening of the concrete protection and caused damage to the equipment.

The decision to replace OK-150 with OK-900 was made after one of these incidents and formalized by a resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on February 18, 1967.