The ultra-silent Russian submarine Krasnodar hunted for three days by the British Navy through the waters of the English Channel. What followed
Britain's Royal Navy tracked a Russian submarine through the English Channel in a three-day coordinated operation with NATO allies. Photo source: Marian Regală Britanica
The Royal Navy spent three days hunting a Russian submarine sailing in the English Channel, it announced Thursday, as the United Kingdom moves to strengthen its fight against the threat.
A British Navy supply ship, equipped with a helicopter on board, was deployed to track the ultra-silent Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar and the tugboat Altay, writes Agerpres.
These Russian ships arrived via the North Sea and passed through the Strait of Dover to enter the English Channel.
The Royal Navy, which did not say when the pursuit took place, said in a statement that it was prepared to “launch anti-submarine operations” if the Krasnodar sank.
NATO ally involved in the operation
However, Krasnodar remained afloat throughout the operation despite adverse weather conditions.
Once near the island of Ouessant, off the northwest coast of France, the British handed the operation over to a NATO ally.
The British military had already carried out a similar surveillance operation in July after it spotted the Russian submarine Novorosiisk in its territorial waters.
Navy Capability Improvement Program
British Defense Secretary John Healey announced on Monday the launch of a multi-million pound program to improve the Royal Navy's capabilities in the face of Moscow's “underwater threats”.
According to London, Russian submarine activity in British waters has increased by 30% in the past two years.
The United Kingdom and Norway signed a cooperation agreement in early December to jointly operate a fleet of frigates to “hunt” these submarines in the North Atlantic.
On Thursday, Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle wrote a letter to British MPs warning them that phishing attempts by Russian actors on WhatsApp and other messaging apps are on the rise.
These attacks aim to mislead MPs into sharing sensitive or compromising information.
The UK's National Cyber Security Center said on Thursday it was “working with partners across government and Parliament in response to the recent targeting of commercial messaging apps, particularly Signal and WhatsApp”.
