Nato chief Mark Rutte joked about the condition of Russia’s naval fleet on Monday as Moscow denied one of its submarines had to surface because of technical problems.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said the diesel-powered submarine Novorossiysk had surfaced off France to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel, through which it was shadowed by a UK warship and helicopter.
Dutch authorities had said on Saturday the submarine was under tow in the North Sea.
“What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October. Today, it seems more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic,” Rutte said in a speech in Slovenia, saying the “broken” vessel was “limping” home.
Rutte said there was “hardly any Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean left”.
VChK-OGPU, a Telegram channel that publishes purported Russian security leaks, reported on 27 September that fuel was leaking into the hold of the Novorossiysk in the Strait of Gibraltar, raising the risk of an explosion.
As it was returning from its deployment in the Mediterranean, the Royal Navy said it tracked the vessel over three days, from 7 to 9 October.
Taking part in joint Nato efforts, the navy said HMS Iron Duke monitored the surfaced Russian Kilo-class submarine and its support tug as they passed through the Channel and into the North Sea.
On Saturday, the Dutch defence ministry said the Dutch navy had then escorted the Novorossiysk and the accompanying towing vessel.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet said on Monday that the submarine, part of a group of submarines that carry Kalibr cruise missiles, was conducting 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,” the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s press service said, as quoted by Interfax news agency.
“In accordance with international navigation regulations, submarines are to navigate the English Channel only while on the surface,” it added.
The incident comes two weeks after the Royal Navy tracked a Russian frigate and cargo vessel through the Channel.
Al Carns, minister for the armed forces, said the navy’s latest operation was “a clear sign of how the UK stands strong with our NATO allies to push back against Russian aggression”.
In June, a Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation found.
It travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” – a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products.
