Nato chief Mark Rutte jokes about ‘limping’ Russian submarine
NATO chief Mark Rutte joked on Monday about the state of Russia’s naval fleet while denying that one of Moscow’s submarines had been forced to surface due to technical problems.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said the diesel-powered submarine Novorossiysk surfaced off the coast of France to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel, where it was shadowed by the British warship and helicopter.
Dutch officials said on Saturday that the submarine was towed in the North Sea.
In a speech in Slovenia, Rutte said the “broken” ship was “limping” home, adding: “What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October. Today, it’s more like searching for the nearest repairman.” he said.
Rutte said there was “almost no Russian naval presence left in the Mediterranean.”
Russia’s Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which publishes claims about security leaks, reported that fuel leaked into the Novorossiysk warehouse in the Strait of Gibraltar on September 27, increasing the risk of explosion.
The Royal Navy said it tracked the ship for three days, from 7 to 9 October, as it returned from its mission in the Mediterranean.
The navy, which is involved in joint NATO efforts, said HMS Iron Duke was monitoring the surfaced Russian Kilo-class submarine and its support tug as they passed through the Channel into the North Sea.
On Saturday, the Dutch defense ministry said the Dutch navy later escorted the Novorossiysk and its accompanying towing ship.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said on Monday that the submarine, part of a group of submarines carrying Kalibr cruise missiles, had carried out a “planned inter-fleet transition”.
“The information disseminated by a number of media outlets about an alleged malfunction and the resulting urgent surfacing of the diesel-electric Novorossiysk submarine off the coast of France does not correspond to reality,” the Russian Black Sea Fleet press service said, quoted by the Interfax news agency. he said.
“In accordance with international navigation regulations, submarines will only be able to navigate the English Channel while on the surface,” the statement said.
The incident comes two weeks after the Royal Navy pursued a Russian frigate and cargo ship across the Channel.
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said the navy’s latest operation was “a clear sign of how strongly the UK stands with our NATO allies against Russian aggression”.
BBC Verify’s investigation revealed that in June a Russian warship disguised itself by using a false identity signal while traveling in the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers.
He traveled with two ships known to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” – a network of tankers whose ownership can be concealed and used to transport sanctioned oil products.
