Russian destroyer tails German frigate in Baltic Sea standoff
Russian large anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov (Photo: wikipedia.org)
A Russian anti-submarine warship performed dangerous maneuvers toward the German frigate Bavaria and pursued the vessel into the Baltic Sea, reports Bild.
According to the German edition, the pursuit began in the North Atlantic.
As Kieler Nachrichten specifies, the frigate Bavaria was conducting exercises there with the German submarine U 33 and other NATO units.
The German frigate Bavaria (photo: Bundeswehr)
Meanwhile, from Kolafjord, the Russian destroyers Severomorsk and Vice-Admiral Kulakov set out on an anti-submarine maneuver. After the maneuver, the latter ship turned around and headed toward the frigate Bavaria, tailing the German vessel — the pursuit took place along the Norwegian coast, heading south.
The crew of the Bavaria was informed about the movement of the Russian destroyer, and from Skagen (a city in Denmark, at the northern tip of Jutland, at Grenen Cape), the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt approached the Russian ship and followed the Kulakov to the Great Belt Strait.
Reaction of the German government
The German federal government expressed concern over these maneuvers by the Russian destroyer.
According to Christoph Ploss, the Maritime Coordinator of the German Federal Government, this incident shows that we must also protect our ports from growing Russian threats as quickly as possible, including by securing infrastructure, increasing investment in cybersecurity, and upgrading bridges for tanks.
It was also noted that the German government plans to ensure the necessary investments.
Reference: The Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov (Udaloy class) is armed with missiles, torpedoes, and carries anti-aircraft systems on board. The ship is 163 meters long. It was launched in 1981, underwent extensive repairs over many years, and has been part of the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet since 2010.
Russian large anti-submarine ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov (photo: wikipedia.org)
Reports of such maneuvers by Russian naval vessels have surfaced amid recent news that Moscow has begun providing military escort to tankers of its shadow fleet in the Gulf of Finland. Finland's Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen called this an unprecedented practice.
Recently, the Estonian Navy reported an incident involving the sanctioned vessel Jaguar in the Baltic Sea, which ignored orders to stop, its crew refused to cooperate, and did not change course in international waters.
Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna stated that Russia scrambled a fighter jet at the moment Tallinn was attempting to intercept the oil tanker in the Baltic Sea.
Additionally, NATO responded to the violation of Estonia’s airspace by the Russian fighter jet.
