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“Hunt for the Nearest Mechanic”: Rutte Taunts Russia Over Stricken Submarine
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte mocked Russia over the “limping state” of one of its submarines, after reports emerged that the vessel had to be towed through the North Sea—a claim Moscow quickly denied, Reuters reported on October 13.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet insisted that the diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk surfaced near France only to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel and rejected any reports of a major technical failure.
Russian Navy Project 636.3 Improved Kilo-class attack submarine Novorossiysk (B-261) leaving the Mediterranean Sea via Gibraltar strait, monitored by US Navy's P-8A Poseidon. pic.twitter.com/XJzZ7yNcNH
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) September 27, 2025
According to Russian officials, the sub was returning home after completing operations in the Mediterranean.
However, Dutch authorities confirmed over the weekend that the Novorossiysk had been under tow in the North Sea. Speaking in Slovenia, Rutte ridiculed the situation, saying the vessel was effectively “broken.”
“Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence left in the Mediterranean. There’s a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home from patrol,” Rutte said.
The NATO chief also made a tongue-in-cheek reference to Tom Clancy’s 1984 Cold War thriller The Hunt for Red October, which tells the fictional story of a Soviet nuclear submarine crew defecting to the United States.
“What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel The Hunt for Red October. Today, it seems more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic,” he added.
NATO’s Maritime Command released photos on October 9 showing a French Navy frigate monitoring a surfaced Russian submarine off the coast of Brittany. “NATO stands ready to defend our Alliance with constant vigilance and maritime awareness across the Atlantic,” the command posted on X, without naming the vessel.
Russian submarine B-261 “Novorossiysk” — a Kalibr missile carrier — was forced to surface off the coast of France due to a serious malfunction.
— Max Kipish 🇺🇦 (@MaximKipish) October 13, 2025
NATO confirms: “We are watching. Ready to respond.”
Russia’s war machine keeps rusting… pic.twitter.com/8tcWPVhIpb
The Novorossiysk, commissioned in 2014, is one of several submarines in the Black Sea Fleet equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles.
Earlier, two Russian naval vessels sustained major technical failures in separate incidents in the Mediterranean and the Azov region.
Project 636.3 submarine Novorossiysk experienced a critical malfunction in its fuel system while operating in the Mediterranean Sea.
The leak caused fuel to enter the bilge compartment. Sources told the outlet that the crew lacks both the necessary spare parts and trained specialists to carry out repairs.
