The incoming NATO Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, made a joke on Monday about the state of Russia’s naval fleet, as Moscow denied reports that one of its submarines had been forced to surface due to technical problems.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said that the diesel-powered submarine “Novorossiysk” surfaced near the coast of France to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel, where it was tracked by a British warship and helicopter.
Dutch authorities stated on Saturday that the submarine was being towed by rope in the North Sea.
“What a difference from Tom Clancy’s 1984 novel The Hunt for Red October. Today it looks more like ‘the hunt for the nearest mechanic,’” Rutte joked during a speech in Slovenia, saying the “broken” vessel was “dragging itself home.”
He added that there is now “hardly any Russian naval presence left in the Mediterranean.”
The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, known for alleged leaks from Russian intelligence, reported on September 27 that fuel was leaking inside the ‘Novorossiysk’ submarine in the Strait of Gibraltar, creating a risk of explosion.
As the submarine was returning from a mission in the Mediterranean, the British Royal Navy said it had tracked it for three days, from October 7 to 9.
Participating in NATO’s joint surveillance efforts, the Royal Navy stated that HMS Iron Duke had monitored the Russian Kilo-class submarine — sailing on the surface — and the support vessel accompanying it as they passed through the English Channel and entered the North Sea.
On Saturday, the Dutch Ministry of Defence said that the Dutch navy then escorted the “Novorossiysk” and the vessel towing it.
On Monday, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet insisted that the submarine — part of a group equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles — was carrying out a “planned inter-fleet movement.”
“The information distributed by certain media regarding an alleged malfunction and, as a result, an emergency surfacing of the diesel-electric submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ near the French coast does not correspond to reality,” said the fleet’s press service, according to Interfax.
“In accordance with international navigation regulations, submarines are required to travel on the surface while passing through the English Channel,” it added.
This incident comes two weeks after the Royal Navy shadowed a Russian frigate and cargo ship passing through the Channel.
Al Carns, the UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces, said that the latest naval operation was “a clear signal that the United Kingdom stands strong alongside NATO allies to deter Russian aggression.”
In June, a Russian warship used a fake identification signal while transiting the English Channel, alongside two oil tankers under sanctions — according to a BBC Verify investigation.
The vessel was part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” — a network of tankers with hidden ownership used to transport oil banned by international sanctions.
