Japan warns of the presence of a Russian submarine near its territory

MADRID Dec. 3 () –

The Japanese authorities have warned this Tuesday that they have detected a Russian Navy submarine and tugboat sailing for the first time near the islands of Yonaguni and Iriomote, in the Okinawa prefecture, located in the south of the country.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense has indicated that the passage of a ‘Ufa’ submarine, of the Improved Kilo class – according to the NATO classification to identify this type of Soviet ships – and a tugboat have been recorded about 50 kilometers from Yonaguni .

“The vessels advanced between the islands heading north, towards the East China Sea. The passage of a Navy submarine between these islands was recorded for the first time,” the Ministry said in a statement in which it explained that A ‘Lockheed P-3 Orion’ aircraft from the Japanese maritime patrol and a resupply ship have been deployed in the area to analyze and collect information.

On November 25, the Russian Pacific Fleet announced that the ‘Ufa’, equipped with ‘Kalibr’ missiles, and the tug ‘Alatau’ participated in a series of joint maneuvers with Malaysian warships in the Sea of Southern China.