THE British navy “chased off” a Russian submarine that was lurking off the Irish coast on an apparent spy mission, military insiders say.
A UK warship and helicopter were involved in the pursuit of the sub which was said to be probing weaknesses in British defences on its western flank.
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Details of the dramatic underwater event that took place six months ago have only just emerged.
The Russian submarine reportedly stationed itself just outside the entrance to Cork Harbour on a spy mission for Vladimir Putin, military insiders told the Irish Examiner.
It was said to be accompanied by a Russian-registered ‘civilian’ vessel that was providing “surface surveillance”.
The sources then claimed a British helicopter swooped in under the cover of darkness and dropped sonar equipment into the water.
Soon after, a Royal Navy anti-submarine frigate allegedly arrived in the area to monitor the sub’s movements and “chased off” the potential threat.
Lurking at the 12-mile coastal limit, Russia’s provocative movements did not break any international laws.
But the military sources revealed that such events on the Irish coast were becoming more common.
They suggested that Russia is working to find any weaknesses in British defence systems as they discovered that the UK is vulnerable near Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland’s navy has no sonar capabilities, which means they are less able to effectively detect incoming underwater threats.
The UK Ministry of Defence was reached for comment.
The military insiders also revealed that Russia has been testing British air defences off the Irish coast in recent years.
Ireland does not have fighter jets to monitor even Soviet-era Tu-95s as existing planes lack the speed and altitude to get close to them.
Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has heavily increased fears about the vulnerability of the UK and the rest of Europe’s critical defence infrastructure.
A joint investigation by Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway in April discovered that Russia was using civilian vessels to collect intelligence in the North Sea.
They tracked dozens of Russian research and fishing vessels who passed near to oil and gas fields, wind farms, power plans and military training areas.
At least 50 civilian ships have been involved in spy missions in Nordic waters in the past ten years, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK claims.
In August, Royal Navy submarine hunters and RAF patrol aircrafts tracked several Russian warships in the waters close to the UK.
Two British ships and a jet scrambled to report on the movements of Putin’s navy in the English Channel, North Sea and North Atlantic.
In a show of force, the HMS Tyne, HMS Portland and P8 Poseidon all worked together to monitor the Russian threat.
A Royal Navy spokesman said at the time: “With their collective array of powerful sensors for locating and tracking, the British submarine-hunting frigate and maritime patrol aircraft are a formidable duo for locating and monitoring operations, allowing for constant surveillance from the sea and air.
“Having detected a ship or submarine, the aircraft can communicate the position, allowing a warship to intercept and track.”
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