Russian Submarine Wreck Found in Sweden’s Territorial Waters

Hot off the press, just minutes old, and sure to be the subject of the week…

This might’ve also been what was fired upon by the Finnish Navy back in April. Underwater depth charges were released after suspicious movement was detected. It could be that it was successfully hit with one (or more) and the Russian submarine became severely damaged and scuttled itself, with crew on board.

Please see the Swedish news source for a live feed at this moment in time.

 

A wrecked mini-submarine was found last week in waters off of Sweden’s eastern coast, media in Sweden reported on July 27. Authorities believe it is a Russian model, primarily because of Cyrillic letters on the hull. They have not disclosed the exact location of the wreckage, but say it is around 1.5 nautical miles from the Swedish coast.

“We are 110 percent sure that it is within Swedish waters” said Dennis Åsberg, a member of Ocean X Team which made the discovery.

Russia warns of ‘risks’ should Sweden join Nato

A top Russian official has told a leading Swedish newspaper that the country would be likely to face military action if it were to join Nato.

Nearly one in three Swedes think the country should join Nato, a major poll suggested last month, up from 29 percent of Swedes in 2013 and 17 percent in 2012.

The shift in public opinion is largely credited to a rising fear in the Nordic country of a potentially aggressive Russia. Sweden’s security service Säpo recently stated that the biggest intelligence threat against the Nordic country in 2014 came from its eastern neighbour.

Sweden faces military build-up call after submarine claims

Media reports of a suspected Russian submarine in Swedish waters could pressure the country to spend more on its military, expert says

While Swedish citizens enjoy a high standard of living and efficient national social welfare systems, they could face demands to increase spending on the military following widespread media coverage of allegations a Russian submarine may be in waters off the Stockholm archipelago, an expert says.

Many critics have questioned the veracity and timing of speculation a Russian submarine could be hiding in Swedish territorial waters at a time of heightened global military tensions under the US-led “war on terror”, and also point out it is common knowledge that most developed nations operate fleets of military submarines around the world.

But, in the wake of the allegations, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has raised the prospect of taxpayers increasing military spending, which currently accounts for one percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, a modest ratio of national income compared to its European neighbors.

Swedish submarine mystery: Navy widens search off Stockholm as Russia denies involvement

Swedish authorities have asked all civilian vessels to leave waters south of Stockholm as a major operation continues to try to track down a mystery foreign vessel.

In scenes reminiscent of the Cold War, Swedish ships and helicopters scoured the area in a hunt for what some observers think could be a Russian submarine.

Russia denies it has a vessel in the area.

Russia’s official government newspaper said either Sweden’s echo location equipment was faulty or “as the old saying goes, the eyes of fear see danger everywhere”.