The appearance of Russia’s B-261 Novorossiysk, a Kalibr-PL missile carrier, off the coast of France caused concern within the NATO Combined Naval Forces. However, Russian officials quickly dismissed claims of an emergency, clarifying that the submarine was conducting a planned transition between fleets.
According to NATO’s naval command, the Novorossiysk was observed on October 9 near the Brittany coast — a region in northwestern France bordered by the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay. The exact location was not specified, but the French Navy frigate reportedly monitored the submarine closely.
“NATO is ready to defend its members, maintaining constant vigilance and monitoring maritime activity across the Atlantic,” stated the alliance’s communiqué.
In a commentary for Gazeta.ru, retired Colonel and military observer Mikhail Khodarenok compared NATO’s reaction to an old joke — a case of exaggerated reporting where nearly every detail turns out to be wrong.
The B-261 Novorossiysk is a diesel-electric submarine of the Project 636.3 Varshavyanka class, part of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s 4th Submarine Brigade. Built at the Admiralty Shipyards in St. Petersburg and commissioned in 2014, it is the lead vessel of its class, equipped with Kalibr-PL cruise missiles capable of striking both sea and land targets.
Reports within NATO suggested that the submarine had “surfaced due to technical malfunction.” Russian analysts immediately questioned how such information could have been obtained — through intercepted communications, perhaps — yet no supporting evidence or details were released. Khodarenok pointed out that in the event of a real malfunction, NATO would have reported visible rescue activity, which never occurred.
Official Response from Russian Navy
The Black Sea Fleet press service issued a statement rejecting media claims of an emergency:
“Reports of an alleged malfunction and forced surfacing of the submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ off France are false. The crew is conducting a planned inter-fleet transit after completing missions in the Mediterranean.”
They also emphasized that under international navigation regulations, submarines must travel on the surface when transiting straits such as the English Channel. Thus, the vessel’s surfacing was procedural, not accidental.
Diesel-electric submarines like the Novorossiysk lack air-independent propulsion systems, requiring them to periodically surface to recharge batteries and replenish oxygen supplies. Such operations are standard and not signs of distress.
