Disaster for Putin’s navy as lead submarine in ‘serious’ difficulties in Mediterranean Sea | World | News
A Russian Kilo-II class submarine is reported to be experiencing “serious technical problems” in the latest setback for Vladimir Putin‘s navy. The Novorossiysk is part of Russia‘s Black Sea Fleet and is currently on combat duties in the Mediterranean Sea.
The diesel-electric attack sub plays a leading role in Russia‘s conventional armed forces. It is normally equipped with a combination of torpedoes, mines and Kalibr cruise missiles. However, the deadly submarine has reportedly suffered damage to its fuel system, causing diesel to leak directly into the hold.
The accumulated fuel in the hold is an explosive hazard that could ignite at any time.
A naval source told the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel that the submarine does not have qualified specialists who can fix the problem. Moreover, there are no spare parts for repairs, meaning the crew has no choice but to start “pumping out the hold” directly into the sea.
The VChK-OGPU Telegram Channel is said to be operated by the former Rosbalt journalists Alexander Shvarev and Alisher Abdullayev. The channel writes extensively about Russia’s law enforcement and intelligence communities.
The Novorossiysk submarine was spotted in British waters in July of this year, prompting the Royal Navy to send aircraft to monitor its activities.
The Russian vessel was sailing west through the North Sea and English Channel at the time.
The Portsmouth-based patrol ship HMS Mersey led a Wildcat helicopter and a specialist submarine-hunting Merlin aircraft to report on Novorossiysk.
HMS Mersey later handed over monitoring duties to Nato allies as the Russians left UK waters.
Russia‘s Black Sea Fleet has been decimated by Ukraine‘s army since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine says it has destroyed or disabled around a third of the fleet’s 80 vessels, using a combination of waterborne drones and missiles.
These include the Moskva – once the fleet’s flagship – as well as the Rostov-on-Don Kilo-class submarine, Ropucha-class landing crafts, missile boats and more besides.
