A Swedish Navy vessel shadows a Russian submarine as it makes its way across the Baltic Sea toward Russia on Wednesday. Photo by Swedish Armed Forces
The Swedish military deployed fighter jets and a warship to shadow a Russian submarine after it entered the Baltic Sea on Tuesday and continues sailing toward a Russian port.
The Russian sub was spotted passing through the Great Belt that separates Denmark’s islands of Funen and Zealand to enter the Baltic Sea and is thought to be the same Russian submarine that surfaced earlier this week along the French coast.
The submarine that surfaced near France was identified as the Novorossiysk, which encountered technical issues while traversing the English Channel.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the submarine is “limping home from a patrol” to a port in Russia for likely repairs.
Sweden joined NATO in 2024, and its Navy is escorting the submarine as it plies the Baltic Sea.
“Swedish fighter aircraft and warships encountered the submarine in the Kattegat and are following it on its way,” the Swedish Navy announced in a post on X.
The Swedish Navy referred to its shadowing of the Russian submarine as a “routine operation that is taking place in close cooperation with our allies.”
A separate post by the Swedish Air Force indicates the Swedish military has “good situational awareness” of the matter.
Russian officials have denied that the submarine has experienced any technical or mechanical problems.
The vessel is a Kilo-class submarine powered by diesel-electric engines and is capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles.
The submarine has been an active part of the Russian Navy since 2014.
