Overview

• NATO’s Maritime Command on October 9 released photos of a French frigate monitoring the surfaced Novorossiysk off Brittany.
• The Royal Navy’s HMS Iron Duke and its Wildcat helicopter tracked the submarine October 7–9 near Ushant before handing off to partner navies as it entered the North Sea.
• The Dutch Defence Ministry said on October 11 that Dutch units escorted the Novorossiysk alongside the tug Yakov Grebelsky, suggesting the submarine may have been towed.
• Russia’s Black Sea Fleet said reports of a breakdown were false and described a routine inter-fleet transfer conducted in accordance with rules that require submarines to transit the English Channel on the surface.
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte labeled it “a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home,” a message echoed by analysts who say the episode underscores Russian logistical limits and reliance on tug support during long returns from the Mediterranean.