Russian shock submarines watched twice off the coast of the United Kingdom - Bloomberg

Bloomberg writes about it with reference to three sources familiar with the situation. It is noted that the first deployment of a Russian Kilo's Russian submarine near the Irish Sea, which separates Ireland from the United Kingdom, took place about 18 months ago. The second event has happened recently. The extent of the displacement of the submarines went beyond what British officials had seen, sources on the conditions of anonymity said.

Two of them stated that US officials knew about moving submarines. The UK Ministry of Defense said it did not "comment on operations". The United States is watching the activities of the Russian Navy, said a high -ranking official Biden administration. The deployment of Russian submarines in the waters surrounding Britain and Western Ireland during the war in Ukraine was already known, although it was not reported that they were heading to the Irish Sea.

In 2023, the Irish media reported that the British helicopter and warship were "pursued" by a Russian submarine outside the harbor in southwest of Ireland, acting because the Irish soldiers did not have the opportunity to resist submarine threats. And last month, the BBC reported that a Russian submarine was noticed near the shores of Scotland. Then he went to Cuba.

A representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ireland stated that the agency did not comment on operations of the Armed Forces of other countries. Without linking this with reports of Russian submarines, the representative stated that air and naval forces conduct "intensified marine patrol" near the Marine Energy Infrastructure in the Irish Sea. The cork is also the point of exit on the shore of the submarine cable EXA Atlantic, which also connects to Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Defense representative said government agencies also interact with each other on the protection of the country's data cables. Sources claim that the deployment of submarines around the United Kingdom and Ireland may be an attempt to identify potential weaknesses in the UK and Ireland maritime defense or an attempt to intimidate the UK in response to Ukraine's support.

It will be difficult for Russian submarines to pass successfully the Irish Sea in full, without violating international law, because of the complexity of claims for territorial waters, said one of the sources. Submarines should be passed on the surface of territorial waters. Due to the different depths of the Irish Sea, it will be difficult to move in the waters underwater in the Russian ship, said the source.

Kilo's submarine is a diesel-electric shock submarine capable of launching winged caliber missiles, as well as torpedoes and sea mines. The US Naval Institute describes the KILO program as "one of the most successful naval programs in modern history. " According to the institute, more than 60 submarines of this class remain in operation. They were used in the Black Sea for attacks in Ukraine.