Japan's defense ministry said on Tuesday that a Russian submarine had passed through the waters between Yonaguni and Iriomote islands for the first time. A day earlier, the Philippine authorities informed about the Russian unit. They described her presence as “very disturbing”.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense informed about a Russian submarine, which – according to the ministry – passed through the waters between the islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote in the southwestern Okinawa prefecture for the first time.
“The rescue tug Altai and the Kilo-class submarine of the Russian Navy passed northeasterly 50 km south of Yonaguni Island towards the East China Sea on Tuesday morning local time,” the Japanese ministry said.
Japan's self-defense forces sent a naval vessel and a maritime reconnaissance and patrol aircraft “to conduct warning surveillance and collect data.”
A “very disturbing” presence
About the presence of a Russian submarine in the exclusive economic zone Philippines the country's armed forces announced on Monday.
The Kilo-class vessel surfaced on November 28 about 80 nautical miles (about 148 km) west of Cape Calavite in the western province of Occidental Mindoro, said Philippine Navy spokesman Roy Vincent Trinidad, confirming earlier media reports.
The spokesman added that the crew said they were “waiting for weather conditions to improve before sailing to Vladivostok, Russia.”
He did not explain why the Russian ship was in this area. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assessed the presence of the Russian vessel in the waters to which they also claim Chinaas “very disturbing”.
Main photo source: ROYAL NAVY/PAP