A RUSSIAN submarine capable of carrying nuclear weapons suffered a “serious accident” in the Mediterranean, according to reports.
Fuel is now said to be leaking from Putin’s 242ft Kilo-class submarine Novorossiysk – creating an “explosive hazard”.
East2WestThe Novorossiysk diesel-electric attack submarine (file image)[/caption]
Royal Navy Russian submarine Novorossiysk sails in front of the Royal Navy’s RFA Tidesurge in January[/caption]
East2WestRoyal Navy helicopters and a warship monitored the surfaced Russian sub in the English Channel[/caption]
The submarine was reportedly spotted surfaced in the Strait of Gibraltar yesterday.
Russia Telegram channel VChk-OGPU – which has links to spooks and other insiders with more than 330,000 subscribers – reported that fuel is accumulating in the hold and the sub is at risk of explosion.
The crew may have no choice but to pump out the hold directly into the sea, the report added.
It read: “Novorossiysk, currently on combat duty in the Mediterranean Sea, is experiencing serious technical problems.
“Due to damage in the fuel system, fuel is leaking directly into the hold.
“There are no spare parts for repairs or qualified specialists on the submarine, and the crew is unable to fix the malfunctions.
“The serious accident has caused other problems as well.
“The accumulated fuel in the hold is an explosive hazard.
“The source believes the crew has no choice but to start ‘pumping out the hold’ directly into the sea.”
The channel, which specialises in leaks from the Russian security services and law enforcement, gave no further details on the incident.
The incident is a chilling echo of the Kursk submarine disaster, which sank after exploding in an accident on August 12, 2000, in the Barents Sea.
The Oscar II class submarine was taking part in the first major Russian naval exercise in more than 10 years.
The explosion was linked to a leak of hydrogen peroxide that came into contact with a catalyst, causing the failure of a Type 65-76A torpedo in the forward torpedo room.
This was followed by a second explosion, which split the submarine and caused it to rapidly sink.
GettyThe Russian nuclear submarine “Kursk” docked at a northern Russian home base port Zapadnaya Lista, in Bellona[/caption]
All 118 personnel on board the sub died in the accident.
The Novorossiysk is a Black Sea Fleet vessel but it is not believed to have been involved in the war against Ukraine.
The diesel-electric attack submarine is designed to carry nuclear-capable Kalibr missiles.
It carries a crew of 52 people and can stay underwater for 45 days.
Ukraine claims it sank its sister submarine Rostov-on-Don in August 2024.
The Royal Navy shadowed the submarine after it appeared in the English Channel in January.
A Royal Navy nuclear submarine was forced to surface next to that same vessel back in November to ward it off, as revealed by Defence Secretary John Healey to parliament yesterday.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
