According to an article in the newspaper Thursday, two US Navy aircraft, alongside a Royal Navy vessel, have been making anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic this week, looking for a Russian submarine. The alleged presence of a Russian sub could be connected to a departure of British nuclear submarines from the Scottish coast, The Independent suggested.
According to defense analysts cited by the newspaper, US deployment raised questions over UK's ability to defend its nuclear submarines adequately. The media outlet cited sources claiming that "visits" by Russian vessels were "happening quite often" off Scottish coasts.
In October, Swedish Armed Forces launched an operation off the coast of Stockholm suspecting the presence of an unknown underwater object. Media reports suggested that the object was a Russian submarine. A spokesperson for the Russian Defense Ministry reported that there were no Russian submarines in the area at the time.
