Russian ‘black hole’ submarine intercepted in English channel just days after Royal Navy's warning over Putin's threat to United Kingdom


A Russian submarine was shadowed through UK waters by the Royal Navy during a powerful storm, in what officials described as a tightly coordinated three day tracking operation.

 

Dramatic images showed Vladimir Putin’s stealthy “black hole” submarine moving through the English Channel, closely monitored by British forces. The Soviet era vessel, Krasnodar, was followed by support ship RFA Tidesurge, which carried a Merlin helicopter for airborne surveillance.

 

The submarine and its accompanying tug, Altay, travelled from the North Sea, passed through the Strait of Dover, and then entered the English Channel under constant watch.

 

Captain James Allen, commanding officer of RFA Tidesurge, said: “There is nothing like a Russian submarine to focus the mind for any mariner.”

 

Lieutenant Commander David Emery, flight commander of 814 Naval Air Squadron’s Atlantic Flight, added: “Maintaining an overt presence and continued overwatch of Russian vessels in UK waters is vital for national security.”

 

Despite the rough weather, the submarine sailed on the surface until it reached waters near the island of Ushant, off north west France, where monitoring responsibilities were handed over to a NATO partner.

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