NATO Tracks Novorossiysk as It Transits the English Channel

A Russian diesel-electric submarine, the Novorossiysk, surfaced and was observed and shadowed by NATO warships as it transited the English Channel and passed the coast of Brittany on October 9, officials said, drawing sustained allied maritime surveillance amid disputed reports of technical problems aboard the vessel.

NATO Maritime Command said allied ships and aircraft monitored the submarine during its passage, posting that "We are watching." Warships from France, the United Kingdom, Belgium and the Netherlands took turns tracking the Novorossiysk, and the Netherlands later said its navy had taken over escort duties that included a maritime helicopter and coast guard vessels. The Royal Navy reported a concentrated three-day operation between October 7 and 9 in which the frigate HMS Iron Duke and an embarked Wildcat helicopter followed and reported the Russian submarine and its support tug, the Yakov Grebelsky, handing monitoring responsibilities to allied vessels as they proceeded north.

The sequence of events is clouded by conflicting accounts about whether the submarine was experiencing a malfunction. A Russian Telegram channel that publishes purported security leaks...