Overview

• NATO said the French Navy monitored a Russian submarine surfacing off France’s northwestern coast last week.
• Russia’s Black Sea Fleet stated the Novorossiysk had no malfunctions and surfaced in line with international navigation rules during a scheduled inter-fleet transit.
• NATO Maritime Command said “We are watching,” as French, British, Belgian and Dutch forces tracked the submarine through the English Channel into the North Sea.
• Claims from the Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU that fuel leaked into the hold creating an “explosive hazard” remain unverified and lack independent corroboration.
• A Dutch defence ministry spokesperson emphasized vigilance to protect undersea infrastructure, and reports noted a Russian tug escort and earlier U.S. patrol flights near Gibraltar.