Nato chief pokes fun at ailing Russian submarine 'limping' in English Channel
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has poked fun at the condition of Russia's naval fleet as he said a submarine was "limping" home after she had to surface due to technical problems.
The Kilo-class submarine Novorossiyk had to come up to the surface off France to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel, Moscow's Black Sea Fleet said, despite the vessel being shadowed by a UK warship and helicopter.
Dutch authorities had said at the weekend that the submarine was under tow in the North Sea.
"Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean left," Mr Rutte said during a speech in Slovenia.
"There's a lone and broken submarine limping home from patrol."
From 7 to 9 October, HMS Iron Duke and her Wildcat helicopter from 825 Naval Air Squadron tracked and reported every movement of the two Russian vessels as they sailed through the English Channel into the North Sea.
The British effort was part of a coordinated allied effort, which involved 11 warships from six nations working together to locate, track and hand over duties.
The Royal Navy then handed over to the French and Dutch navies, who followed Novorossiysk and support tug Yakov Grebelsky, according to Euronews.
"What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October," the former prime minister of the Netherlands said.
"Today, it seems more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic."
The BBC reported that a Telegram channel, VChK-OGPU, that reports on alleged Russian security leaks, said that fuel was leaking into the hold of the submarine in the Strait of Gibraltar on 27 September, raising the risk of an explosion.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet press service hit back at the claims by suggesting the vessel was participating in a "scheduled inter-fleet transit".
"Information disseminated by a number of media outlets about an alleged malfunction and, as a result, the emergency surfacing of the diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk off the coast of France does not correspond to reality," Moscow's Black Sea Fleet said.
"In accordance with international navigation regulations, submarines are to navigate the English Channel only while on the surface," it added.
Al Carns, the UK's Armed Forces Minister, said that Russia's vessels are transiting the English Channel more often, before mentioning that the Royal Navy are tracking the vessels constantly.
"Russian vessels have been passing through the English Channel more frequently, and our Royal Navy is on the job 24/7, keeping a close eye on their movements to make sure our waters and undersea cables stay safe," Mr Carns said.
"This is a clear sign of how the UK stands strong with our Nato allies to push back against Russian aggression."
HMS Iron Duke's mission tracking the Russian vessels was her second operation of this type in two weeks and her 19th in the last year.
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