Nato chief mocks Russian submarine forced to surface in English Channel

The submarine was reportedly caught 'limping'

Russia have refuted these claims saying that the submarine only surfaced in order to comply with navigation rules of the English Channel.

However, authorities in the Netherlands have said that the submarine had to be towed when it reached the North Sea with Rutte saying at a speech that the vessel was "broken".

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.

"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."

A shady Telegram channel that releases alleged Russian security leaks, known as VChK-OGPU, reported that on 27 September fuel began leaking into the hold of the vessel, a dangerous situation.

On 9 October, Nato's Maritime Command released photographs of what it said was a French navy frigate observing a Russian submarine operating on the surface off the coast of Brittany.

Posting on X, it wrote: "NATO stands ready to defend our Alliance with constant vigilance and maritime awareness across the Atlantic."

On Saturday, the Dutch defence ministry said the Dutch navy had escorted the Novorossiysk and a accompanying towing vessel, the Yakov Grebelsky, in the North Sea.

On Monday (13 October) the Russian Black Sea Fleet said the sub was conducting a "scheduled inter-fleet transit" after completing tasks in the Mediterranean.

Social image Nato Marine Command X.