Russia has apparently begun the largest submarine maneuver in the North Atlantic since the end of the Cold War. Since last week, a dozen submarines stationed on the Russian peninsula Kola were involved in the maneuver, reported the Norwegian military intelligence service, according to the TV channel NRK. In use are also eight nuclear submarines. The maneuver will take two months.
Norway and other NATO countries are monitoring the activities of the Russian Navy, among other things from the air, as the spokesman for the Norwegian General Staff, Brynjar Stordal, said. Submarines were also discovered in the European North Sea and the Barents Sea.
As reported by the station NRK, citing military sources, the Russian submarines try as deep as possible to submerge in the Atlantic, without attracting attention. The aim of the Russians is to demonstrate their readiness to defend and to show that they could threaten the US coast.
Russia did not confirm the maneuver. According to Russian news agencies, the Russian Navy said Saturday that two nuclear submarines would test equipment and weapons during deep dives. These are submarines of the type Condor, which could detect and destroy, inter alia, air units of enemy naval associations.