Bloomberg: Russian submarines have completed missions from Britain twice in two years
After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Russian submarines twice performed missions in the Irish Sea area, Bloomberg reports. The authors of the article claim that this is how Moscow tried to "grope for potential weaknesses in the defense of the British Isles" or "intimidate London."
Alex Wickham, Jennifer Jacobs, Jennifer Duggan
Russian attack submarines carried out missions in the Irish Sea area twice after the start of a special operation in Ukraine in 2022, three informed sources said. This unprecedented move by the Kremlin forced the British military to take measures to protect British and Irish waters.
The first appearance of a Russian Varshavyanka-class submarine (NATO classification: Kilo) near the Irish Sea separating the island of Ireland from the British Isles was recorded about a year and a half ago, sources said on condition of anonymity. The second case occurred quite recently. According to them, British officials had never seen similar underwater maneuvers before.
Two of them reported that U.S. officials were aware of the submarine movements. The British Ministry of Defense declined to comment. The United States is monitoring Russia's naval activities, a senior Biden administration official assured. Representatives of the White House declined to comment on the latest report, and the Russian Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment.
The Varshavyanka diesel-electric attack submarine is capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles, and also carries torpedoes and naval mines. Last month, Russian state media reported that Russian warships, including the Yasen-class submarine Kazan, conducted exercises in the Atlantic Ocean before a visit to Cuba.
The appearance of Russian submarines in the waters around Great Britain and western Ireland during the conflict in Ukraine was already known, although it was not previously reported that they had reached the Irish Sea. In 2023, Irish media reported that a British helicopter and a warship had “chased” a Russian submarine from the waters adjacent to Cork Harbor in the southwest of the country. They had to ask for help because the Irish military does not have its own capabilities to counter underwater threats.
And last month, the BBC reported that a Russian submarine was spotted off the coast of Scotland, after which it went to Cuba.
A representative of the Irish Ministry of Defense said that his department does not comment on the actions of the armed forces of other countries. Without linking this to reports about Russian submarines, the representative stressed that the country's Air Force and Navy are conducting “enhanced maritime patrols” near the offshore energy infrastructure in the Irish Sea.
Cork is also the exit point of the EXA Atlantic submarine cable, which connects Canada and the United Kingdom. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said that government departments are also cooperating on the protection of data cables.
The transfer of Russian submarines to the UK and Ireland may be an attempt to find potential weaknesses in the defense of the British Isles and the Irish Sea — or an attempt to intimidate London in response to support for Ukraine, sources say.
According to one of them, it will be difficult for a Russian submarine to successfully complete tasks in the Irish Sea without violating international law, due to confusing claims to territorial waters. By law, submarines must pass through the surface of territorial waters in transit. Also, due to the changeable depths, it is difficult for a Russian ship to navigate the Irish Sea exclusively when submerged.
The U.S. Naval Institute calls the program “Varshavyanka” “one of the most successful naval programs in modern history.” According to him, over 60 submarines of this class remain in service. Among other things, they were used in the Black Sea to strike targets in Ukraine.
According to the newsletter on the website of the US Naval Institute, Varshavyanka-class submarines reach a maximum speed of 17 knots on the surface and 20 knots underwater.
