THE PRIME MINISTER has been given a top-secret briefing during his election campaign after a Russian nuclear attack submarine was identified off the coast of Scotland.
It comes as Vladimir Putin vowed to “punish” the West for giving Ukraine long -distance missiles capable of striking Russia and a £40bn loan using frozen Russian assets.
Kazan, a state-of the art Yasen-class submarine, was detected on June 5 after RAF Poseidon P8 anti-submarine aircraft dropped sonar buoys used to detect subsurface activity at depth.
The RAF maritime surveillance plane tracked the Russian sub as it transited up the West coast of Ireland to Scotland passing close to Britain’s nuclear naval base at Faslane.
While it did not enter UK waters, military commanders feared that the loitering 13,800-tonne boat was probing for weaknesses on Nato’s extreme flank.
News of the Russian vessel’s location was passed to Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood , with both the Prime Minister and defence secretary informed.
Last night a senior source said: “The PM was informed – this is standard practice. The Cabinet is also informed and if needed the defence secretary can give his direction.
“I understand the submarine is a Yasen class – capable of launching multiple cruise missiles.
“The sighting of this submarine will be a significant concern: is it trying to collate chatter to gauge the mood of the public during the election, or is its presence part of a wider information operation?”
Russian submarine activity near UK waters has increased in the past three years as Moscow accelerates eavesdropping operations.
In December 2023 a Russian submarine was identified off the West coast of Ireland and chased into the Atlantic by a Royal Navy frigate .
And in 2021 former defence secretary Ben Wallace warned that submarines are “circling UK’s entire coastline”, adding that a Russian Kilo-class submarine was spotted in the Irish Sea for the first time in a “very, very long time” at the end of 2020.
The RAF currently has nine Poseidon-8A maritime patrol aircraft which operate from RAF Lossiemouth. They are tasked with detecting and hunting hostile submarines near British waters.
Britain’s submarine force is currently limited in capability as it waits for the remainder of the Astute class to be completed.
Having now sailed to Cuba, Kazan is expected to go on to Venezuela before landing in Commonwealth nation Guyana where, recently, Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Trent was deployed as a show of support against increasing border belligerence by Russia-supporting Venezuela.
Putin has reacted in fury at both the provision of American Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets to Ukraine and the £40bn loan.
In a briefing last week UN Nato Ambassador Julianne Smith said Washington DC may review its policy of not allowing the ATACMS to target mainland Russia, adding: “We will continue to assess and adapt to Ukraine’s ever-evolving needs.”
On Friday, members of the G7 agreed to a £40bn loan to Ukraine, to be financed by the interest accruing from frozen Russian assets in the West,
Around £240bn in assets from Russia’s central bank were frozen as part of Western sanctions shortly after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine in
Sources say the deal was struck so that Ukraine could be assured of enough funds in the event that the US Congress once again held up aid under a Donald Trump presidency.
US President Joe Biden also signed a 10-year security pact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“It is important to note that it isn’t Russian funds, but rather the interest accrued from them, which will guarantee the £40bn loan to Ukraine,” said Justin Crump, from Sibylline strategic risk group.
“The UK’s position is that all the money belongs to Russia and, as such, cannot be touched. However, it may prove useful leverage when it comes to peace talks.”
