New orders are “not to publicise Portuguese missions accompanying Russian ships”
The Portuguese Navy and Air Force have just spent two days accompanying a Russian attack submarine passing alongside Portugal’s coast in the direction ‘south to north’, apparently headed for its base in the Baltic.
Tabloid Correio da Manhã says the Kilo-class ‘Krasnodar’ (which has passed through Portuguese territorial waters in the past) carries Kalibr torpedoes and missiles “capable in its most powerful variant of hitting ground targets at 2500 kms. The sub was accompanied on its trajectory, as it has been in the past, by the tugboat Evgeniy Churov.
According to CM’s sources, speaking anonymously due to new orientation within the armed forces NOT to publicise the passing of Russian vessels (which has become almost commonplace since the start of Russian’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine), the Krasnodar entered international waters within the Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on April 28.
The submarine is “known by NATO for its reduced emissions in terms of noise, and for the fact that it is difficult to detect, in spite of being diesel/ electric”.
It was “immediately escorted by Portuguese patrol ship Figueira da Foz from a position off the Algarve to Viana do Castelo, where the vessels returned to the Spanish zone of responsibility”, says the paper.
As well as naval accompaniment, the operation included the Portuguese Air Force: a P-3C Orion maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, deployed from Beja Air Base, took part in the mission at various points.
This type of aircraft, known for its high autonomy, can carry out flights lasting more than ten hours, which allows it to follow maritime movements over large areas of the Atlantic with high efficiency.
Other reports add that the Krasnodar had been in the Mediterranean on operations, since the beginning of the year. ND
