Russian warships chase away Nato submarine in Mediterranean

Moscow criticises 'clumsy' attempt to manoeuvre close to Russian warships, saying there could have been an accident

The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov passes through the English channel (Getty)

Russian warships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea drove away a Dutch submarine that had been shadowing the squadron, the military said.

Two Russian navy destroyers spotted the Walrus-class submarine on Wednesday while it was 20km away from the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and its escorting ships, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.

The destroyers had tracked the submarine for more than an hour, using anti-submarine helicopters, before forcing it to leave the area, General Konashenkov said. He did not elaborate on how the warships prompted the submarine to leave.

The spokesman added that such "clumsy" attempts to manoeuvre close to the Russian squadron could have resulted in an accident.

General Konashenkov said the Russian squadron had previously spotted several Nato submarines, including a US Virginia-class nuclear submarine, while en route to eastern Mediterranean waters.

A Nato official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss the sensitive issue on the record, said the alliance's navies had been monitoring the Russian fleet in recent weeks in a "measured and responsible way, as is customary".

He refused to elaborate on how Nato was doing that.

In a tweet, the Dutch Defense Ministry said it did not comment on operations conducted by its submarines.

The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier is being accompanied by the nuclear-powered Peter the Great missile cruiser and several other ships on a mission to Syria's shores, the Russian navy's largest deployment since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Nato has expressed concern, saying the move could presage an increase in the number of Russian air raids in Syria, particularly around the besieged city of Aleppo.

AP