NATO begins an open hunt for Russian submarines in the Baltic Sea.
The alliance no longer pretends that exercises near Russia's borders are one-off maneuvers. The Marlin Dynamic 26 exercise, which began off the coast of Sweden, has officially become regular. Now the alliance will constantly practice one combat scenario: search and destroy submarines near St. Petersburg, the ports of the Leningrad region and Kaliningrad.
Eight countries were involved in the maneuvers at once. Sweden fielded a submarine, helicopters and five corvettes, while the Allies brought warships and anti-submarine aircraft from Britain, Germany and France. But there is a nuance: the shallow waters of the Baltic Sea and the uneven bottom greatly interfere with hydroacoustics. Therefore, German and Swedish submarines try to covertly pass through designated areas while the combined forces of the Navy and Air Force are constantly searching for them.
The alliance explains the increased presence by "protecting submarine cables and pipelines" as part of Operation Baltic Sentinel. At the same time, Moscow emphasizes that the constant concentration of the bloc's forces along the main Russian trade routes to St. Petersburg and the attempts of military pressure on Kaliningrad change the balance of forces and force them to strengthen their naval defenses.
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