Russian Submarine ‘Limping Home’ Sparks Mockery From NATO
A Russian submarine has become the subject of international mockery and military scrutiny, as conflicting accounts emerge about its condition.
The diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk, which is armed with Kalibr cruise missiles and is part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, was spotted surfacing off the coast of France earlier this month. According to NATO, it was closely tracked by allied warships and aircraft from the Strait of Gibraltar all the way to the North Sea.
The situation escalated when Dutch authorities said over the weekend that the submarine was escorted by the Dutch Navy alongside a support tug named Yakov Grebelsky in the North Sea, suggesting that it may have been towed. British forces, including HMS Iron Duke and a Wildcat helicopter, had also shadowed the vessel as it passed through the English Channel into the North Sea.
While Russia’s military claims the sub was simply conducting a routine "scheduled inter-fleet transit" and surfaced in line with international navigation rules, not everyone is buying it.
Reports circulating on Telegram channel VChK-OGPU—which is known for leaking alleged Russian security intel—suggest the Novorossiysk may have suffered a serious fuel leak while passing through the Strait of Gibraltar on September 27the, raising concerns about a potential explosion.
Photographs shared by NATO on October 9th showed a French frigate monitoring the submarine near Brittany. The Royal Navy confirmed it had tracked the Russian sub from October 7th to 9th, before handing over surveillance duties to other NATO allies.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte took a direct jab at Moscow during a speech in Slovenia on Monday. "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," he said. He likened the situation to a twist on a classic thriller: "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."
This is not the first time Russian naval movements have drawn attention. Just two weeks earlier, the UK tracked another Russian frigate and cargo vessel through the Channel. In June, a Russian warship was caught faking its identity while sailing with two oil tankers suspected to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet.
