13 October 2025 , 22:41
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NATO chief Mark Rutte mocked Russia on Monday regarding the "limping" condition of one of its submarines, as Russian authorities denied it had been forced to surface due to technical issues.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet stated that the diesel-powered submarine Novorossiysk had surfaced near France to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel and dismissed reports of a serious malfunction.
However, Dutch authorities mentioned over the weekend that the submarine was being towed in the North Sea. Rutte, during a speech in Slovenia, remarked that the vessel was "broken".
"Currently, there is virtually no Russian naval presence left in the Mediterranean. There’s a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home from patrol," he stated.
"What a contrast to the 1984 Tom Clancy novel ’The Hunt for Red October’. Today, it seems more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic."
VChK-OGPU, an elusive Telegram channel that publishes alleged Russian security leaks, reported on September 27 that fuel was leaking into the hold of the Novorossiysk, increasing the risk of an explosion.
NATO’s Maritime Command released photographs on October 9 of what it identified as a French navy frigate observing a Russian submarine operating on the surface off the coast of Brittany.
"NATO is prepared to defend our Alliance with constant vigilance and maritime awareness across the Atlantic," it posted on X, without specifying the submarine’s name.
On Saturday, the Dutch defence ministry announced that the Dutch navy had escorted the Novorossiysk along with an accompanying towing vessel, the Yakov Grebelsky, in the North Sea.
The Russian Black Sea Fleet announced on Monday that the submarine was conducting a "scheduled inter-fleet transit" after completing tasks in the Mediterranean.
State news agency TASS reported that the vessel, which entered service in 2014, was part of a group of submarines that carry Kalibr cruise missiles.
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