Sweden searches for Russian submarine.

[eran0004]

So it's just media's paranoia? "Russians! They're under my bed! They'll invade me!"

The RF Defence Ministry had said "well-well, we will impatiently wait for the search results". The Swedes, however, didn't get the joke.

It could also be an exercise of the Swedish Navy under the legend of a "hostile submarine in the territorial waters".

Well, the current generation of journalists grew up with the submarine hunts of the 1980's so when they heard the reports they instantly "knew" what was going on (dangerous thing if you're a journalist). And then they all started to cite each other, turning the snowball into an avalanche. The media reports ranged from "submarine in distress" to "Spetsnaz troops rigging explosives in preparation for a Russian invasion".

As for "the Swedes", the media does not speak for the government or the people or even the army. Most people didn't care at all (at most it was a good topic for making jokes), the government just said that they didn't want to speculate and the army said that they didn't know. The media got out of hands, but that's really all it was.

 

[eran0004]

Update: There was a press conference today in Stockholm, with the Swedish Prime Minister, Defense Minister and the Commander-in-Chief. The armed forces have without any doubt been able to confirm a submarine, although the nationality has not been determined. The Prime Minister said that violations of Swedish territorial integrity is unacceptable, that Sweden will increase its submarine detection and defense capacity and that next time the crew might not be so lucky.

Anyone considering entering Swedish territory unlawfully should also be aware of the enormous risks involved for those who may be directly involved in such violations. We will defend our territorial integrity with all the means at our disposal. And I would like to remind everyone that the Swedish Armed Forces have all the authority needed in a critical situation to prevent a foreign vessel from escaping, including as a last resort military force.

Sweden is a peaceful country. We do not belong to any military alliances and have managed to keep out of wars for 200 years. But we have always demanded respect for and asserted our territorial integrity. And I wish to say, in no uncertain terms, that this remains true today.

 

[TenEightyOne]

The sonar image from the Swedes. Source (BBC).

 

[eran0004]

The sonar image from the Swedes. Source (BBC).

View attachment 255794

The image is showing a trace on the seafloor and was taken by a corvette. That is not the decisive observation though, but another important observation that was made during the search. The decisive observation remains classified.

Here is a press release in English from the armed forces: http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/en/news/2014/11/confirmed-submarine-in-the-stockholm-archipelago/