Russian submarines spotted in the Mediterranean

Earlier on in the week, Newsweek reported that senior military officials have started to raise concerns about Russian submarines appearing on a more frequent basis in the Mediterranean.

Russian Maritime Studies Institute Director (RMIS) Michael Peterson said that these tactics resemble those of the Soviet Union during The Cold War.

 “There are indications that “nuclear-powered submarines have been deploying off the coast of the United States and into the Mediterranean and elsewhere along Europe periphery” Peterson also said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently oversaw agreements being made for several new vessels, including the Generalissimus Suvorov nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching ballistic missiles.

Putin said that Russia would manufacture a new fleet of submarines, therefore “ensuring Russia’s security for decades to come.”

Russia has consistently increased production of submarines and has also carried out tests with its nuke-capable Belgorod submarine, which is capable of launching Underwater Unmanned Vehicles (UUV).

The Russian Navy has an  estimated 58 vessels, which makes it one of the world’s largest submarine fleets.

Warnings of Russian submarines off the coast of the United States go back as far as October 2022.  US Air Force General Glen VanHerck raised the alarm about the growing number of nuclear-powered Severodvinsk-class submarines off the coast of the United States.

“They just moved subs, their first [Severodvinsk submarine] into the Pacific,” VanHerck told the Association of the US Army Conference. “Another [Severodvinsk] is out in the Mediterranean right now, and another that’s out on its way into the Atlantic. That will be a persistent, proximate threat capable of carrying many land-attack cruise missiles that can threaten our homeland.”