Shoigu Reports To Putin On US Submarine Incident, Russian Military Exercises

A US submarine went more than 4 km into Russian waters and efforts to drive it away took about three hours, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting with the country’s President Vladimir Putin.

"A Pacific Fleet group discovered during exercises near the Kuril Islands a submarine, most likely from the US," Shoigu said. "As a result of efforts that took almost three hours the sub was driven away from the Russian waters where it was more than 4 km inside, quite a lot for the islands."

A US Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine was spotted by Russia’s anti-submarine forces in the Russian territorial waters near Urup, an uninhabited island in the Kuril Islands chain at 10:40 am Moscow time on February 12. The submarine ignored the orders to the surface immediately and the Russian side used special means, after which the submarine left Russia’s territorial waters at the maximum speed.

Following the incident, a note was delivered to the US military attache in Moscow, saying that the Russian defense ministry reserves the right to take all appropriate measures security in Russia’s territorial waters to ensure Russia’s security.

Some of Russia’s military exercises are ending and others will be over in the near future, Sergey Shoigu said.

"Some exercises are ending and others will be over in the near future. Countermeasures against various enemy actions are being practiced on all tracks," he said.

The joint exercise with Belarus codenamed Union Resolve 2022 is being held on February 10-20 to practice measures to prevent and repel foreign aggression, as well as to resist terrorism and protect the interests of the Union State. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the forces involved will take measures to enhance the protection of the state border against penetration of groups of armed militants, plug loopholes and routes that might be used for the delivery of weapons and ammunition, and also to search for, seal off and eliminate illegal armed groups and enemy saboteurs.

The drills are being conducted at the Domanovsky, Gozhsky, Obuz-Lesnovsky, Brestsky and Osipovichsky proving grounds and the Baranovichi, Luninets, Lida and Machulishchi airdromes.

In accordance with the Russian armed forces’ January-February training schedule a series of naval exercises is being held under the general guidance of the Navy’s commander-in-chief, Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov. The main task is to test cooperation by the Navy and Aerospace Force in protecting Russia’s national interests in the World Ocean and countering military threats to Russia on the sea.