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Sweden continues search for suspected Russian submarine

Russia continues to deny any of its vessels are in distress.

By Gabrielle Levy
The Swedish military handed out an image taken by a passerby showing an object in the sea near Stockholm. (Handout)
The Swedish military handed out an image taken by a passerby showing an object in the sea near Stockholm. (Handout)

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Sweden stepped up its efforts to locate a suspected Russian submarine off the waters near Stockholm three days after intercepting what it says was a distress call.

Officially, the Swedish military has described searching for "foreign underwater activity," but intelligence briefings suggest it believes a Russian submarine has suffered mechanical problems.

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The operation began on Friday after a radio transmission was intercepted between an object in the Stockholm archipelago -- an area that contains some 30,000 islands and inlets -- to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea.

"At the moment we are conducting an intelligence operation in the archipelago of Stockholm with optical reconnaissance as well as with naval vessels equipped with qualified underwater sensors," said Erik Lagersten, communications director for the Swedish Armed Forces. "The units activated are from all branches of the Swedish Armed Forces, the Navy, the Army and the Air Force."

A distressed underwater vessel would need support from another vessel, and Swedish military have been eyeing the Russian-owned oil tanker NS Concord, which has been circling near Stockholm in international waters.

"We still consider the information we received as very trustworthy," Captain Jonas Wikström told reporters Sunday. "I, as head of operations, have therefore decided to increase the number of units in the area."

Russia has denied any emergency incidents involving its naval vessels. A defense ministry spokesman said all its submarines and ships are "fulfilling their tasks in the worlds oceans... according to plan."

"There has been no irregular situation, let alone emergency situation, involving Russian navy vessels," the spokesman said.

But Baltic nations are highly suspicious of Russian activity after a series of tense interactions in recent weeks.

In September, Sweden scrambled jets after two Russian Su-24 attack fighters reportedly violated Swedish airspace. And last week, Finland said an environmental research ship in international waters had been harassed by the Russian navy, ordered to change course and followed by a helicopter and submarine.

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