On Thursday, Swedish intelligence caught an emergency radio call in Russian, according to a report from a English-language website The Local, citing the Swedish newspaper called Svenska Dagbladet.
More radio transmissions were intercepted on Friday, and reports arose of a foreign vessel spotted in the waters around islands near Stockholm. The Swedish military responded, sending helicopters and ships to search for the source of the radio transmissions, which were being sent to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, 330 miles (530 kilometers) south of Stockholm on the Baltic's southern shore, according to The Local report.
The intrigue deepened Sunday when the Swedish military announced at a press conference that it has been monitoring suspicious activity in the area for several years, according to another report in The Local.
On Sunday, Russia denied that it has any vessel in Swedish waters and also suggested that if a foreign vessel is there it may belong to the Netherlands, according to a report from Russia's Itar-TASS news agency.
"On Sunday, October 19, the Russian Defense Ministry provided assistance wherever possible to the Swedes in their unsuccessful search, saying that there were no incidents with Russian warships (in the Baltic Sea), including submarines," a Russian Defense Ministry source told in a report Monday to TASS.
"For easing tension in the Baltic Sea and saving Swedish taxpayers' money, we would advise (the Swedish side) to request explanations from the Dutch Navy command," the source said in the TASS report. It suggested the vessel might be a Dutch sub that was in Sweden for exercises last week.
The Dutch quickly responded to the TASS report today, saying a sub involved in the exercises was anchored in Tallinn harbor of NATO-ally Estonia for the weekend, according to a report from Agence France-Presse.
Today, there has been no letup in the Swedish search for the suspected intruder, and the military promised to continue searching at least for the next few days, according to The Local.
I think this article is quite thought-provoking. I think that Russia may have something to do with this incident and am not sure to believe them or not. Sweden though, seems more promising and trustful. I also think it's unique because you don't hear that much about issues with the navy that much;instead it is more common with the army and the air force.
This is the source for the article: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/20/world/europe/sweden-russia-submarine-mystery/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Tension is mounting around Russia. If we are not careful, there could be another Cold War on our hands, and that benefits nobody, least of all the US.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about this, but would never have thought of Russian involvement until after reading the article. It seems a little strange to me that Russia would be scouting out territory near Sweden just for the sake of doing so, yet there's no telling. This could be some innocent and inconspicuous issue and that Sweden is exaggerating, but it's good to know that they are being cautious and alert about their country's safety.
ReplyDelete-Sophia Davison