The location of the appearance of the American Virginia-class submarine near the Kuril Islands is not easy, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia on February 12.
The expert noted that, firstly, Japan claims part of the Kuril Islands. Secondly, they play an important role for Russia from a military point of view. So, according to him, in the event of a threat of a full-scale war, Russian submarines with strategic missiles should go to the Sea of Okhotsk and hide there until they receive the right command.
"If necessary, they will strike at the aggressor. This sea is well suited to hide there — there are great depths and many coves. But, most importantly, it is limited to the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. It is not easy to get into it — you can slip through the La Perouse Strait or between the Kuril Islands. The Straits should be guarded by ships of the Pacific Fleet," Boltenkov explained.
The expert also pointed out that the Virginia is a fourth-generation submarine, it is low-noise and it is very difficult to detect it.
"The fact that she was caught speaks about the high level of our sonar and the quality of the equipment they used to detect. It is possible that our sonar systems have reached a new level," he added.
On February 12, a Virginia-class US Navy submarine was discovered in the territorial waters of Russia near the Kuril island of Urup. The Ministry of Defense indicated that the American submarine ignored the demands to leave Russian waters, in connection with which the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov used special means. After that, the submarine departed at maximum speed.
According to Izvestia, the US submarine tried to monitor the exercises of the Pacific Fleet, but thanks to the prompt reaction of the Russian ships, it was detected even before it started the mission.
The US military attache in Moscow was handed a note. The Russian military department pointed out to him the unacceptability of such actions, stressing that the violation of state borders by the submarine posed a threat to the national security of the Russian Federation.
