By Bart H. Meijer and Mark Trevelyan
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -NATO chief Mark Rutte mocked Russia on Monday over the “limping” situation of certainly one of its submarines as Russian authorities denied it had been pressured to floor due to technical issues.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet stated the diesel-powered submarine Novorossiysk had surfaced off France to adjust to navigation guidelines within the English Channel, and rejected stories it had suffered a severe malfunction.
However Dutch authorities stated on the weekend that the submarine was underneath tow within the North Sea. And Rutte, in a speech in Slovenia, stated the vessel was “damaged”.
“Now, in impact, there’s hardly any Russian naval presence within the Mediterranean left. There is a lone and damaged Russian submarine limping dwelling from patrol,” he stated.
“What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel ‘The Hunt for Crimson October’. Right this moment, it appears extra just like the hunt for the closest mechanic.”
VChK-OGPU, a shadowy Telegram channel that publishes purported Russian safety leaks, reported on September 27 that gas was leaking into the maintain of the Novorossiysk, elevating the chance of an explosion.
NATO’s Maritime Command printed images on October 9 of what it stated was a French navy frigate observing a Russian submarine working on the floor off the coast of Brittany.
“NATO stands able to defend our Alliance with fixed vigilance and maritime consciousness throughout the Atlantic,” it posted on X, with out naming the submarine.
On Saturday, the Dutch defence ministry stated the Dutch navy had escorted the Novorossiysk and a accompanying towing vessel, the Yakov Grebelsky, within the North Sea.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet stated on Monday that the submarine was conducting a “scheduled inter-fleet transit” after finishing duties within the Mediterranean.
State information company TASS stated the vessel, which entered service in 2014, was a part of a gaggle of submarines that carry Kalibr cruise missiles.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer in Amsterdam and Mark Trevelyan in LondonEditing by Frances Kerry)
