A damaged Russian submarine was forced to surface near France and limp home through the English Channel after suffering a fuel leak in the Mediterranean.
The Novorossiysk, a diesel-powered Russian attack submarine, was towed in the North Sea after suffering a reported fuel leak in the Strait of Gibraltar at the end of last month, according to Dutch authorities.
The 230ft-long vessel, manned by a crew of 50, was tracked from the Mediterranean to French waters, surfacing near Brittany, before making its way through the English Channel to the North Sea.
Russia’s Black Fleet, which the submarine belongs to, denied reports of a fuel leak, claiming it had surfaced in the English Channel to comply with international protocol.
The Royal Navy also tracked the Novorossiysk as it entered British waters over the course of three days.
It sent the Plymouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke, along with a Wildcat helicopter from 825 Naval Air Squadron, to report on every movement of the vessel as it moved through the English Channel to the North Sea.
Mark Rutte, the defence bloc’s secretary general, said the state of the Novorossiysk was symbolic of the pitiful state of Russia’s naval capabilities.
Speaking at a NATO event in Slovenia, he said: ‘Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean left. There’s a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home from patrol.
The Russian vessel Novorossiysk (pictured, foreground) was tracked by HMS Iron Duke (pictured, background) in British waters
‘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.’
The Novorossiysk has been in service since 2014, and is capable of carrying deadly Kalibr cruise missiles.
It can operate at a depth of nearly 1,000ft and has a range of 7,500 nautical miles.
Just last month, the Royal Navy was forced to send the HMS Iron Duke to shadow a Russian frigate and freighter off the UK coast, amid warnings Moscow is sending a rising number of ships through British waters.
Teams aboard HMS Iron Duke and a Wildcat helicopter tracked the heavily-armed warship RFN Neustrashimy as it escorted cargo ship Sparta IV through the North Sea and the English Channel.
‘Russian warships are increasingly transiting through the English Channel,’ defence minister Luke Pollard warned last month.
‘The Royal Navy protects the UK 24/7 to monitor Russian movements, ensuring the security of our waters and undersea cables.
‘Alongside our commitment to Nato’s Eastern Sentry, this is a clear demonstration of how the UK stands firm with our Nato allies to deter Russian aggression.’
Mark Rutte, NATO’s secretary general, (pictured) said the state of the Novorossiysk was symbolic of the pitiful state of Russia’s naval capabilities
Though Russian vessels have been seen in British waters, Moscow’s navy has been battered by Ukrainian missiles and naval drones since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
The flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, was sunk by Ukrainian forces.
Hit by two R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles, the Moskva is the largest Russian warship to be sunk at war since the end of WW2.
Nearly 400 crew members were forced to evacuate, with at least one sailor killed and 27 declared missing.