North Atlantic Treaty Organisatio—NATO–Secretary General Mark Rutte did not miss a chance to mock Russia on Monday over the “malfunction” of its submarine Novorossiysk, which was “forced to surface” off the coast of France last week.
During his speech in Slovenia, Rutte openly ridiculed the “limping” Russian submarine: “Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence left in the Mediterranean, there’s a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home from patrol.” Rutte said.
“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,” he added.
However, the press service of the Black Sea Fleet issued a denial, stating the following: “The information being circulated by some media about an alleged malfunction and, as a result, an emergency surfacing of the diesel-electric submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ off the coast of France is not true.
“In fact, the crew of B-261 is currently carrying out a scheduled inter-fleet transfer after completing tasks as part of the regular operational unit of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.”
The press service of the Black Sea Fleet also reminded about international navigation rules. When passing through strait areas, particularly the English Channel, submarines are required to travel on the surface.