Russia Slams Reports of Trawler Sinking on Striking Submarine
The Russian Defense Ministry has rejected the media reports that the Russian trawler tragedy in the Sea of Okhotsk that claimed 56 lives was due to a collision with a submarine, informs the state news agency TASS. Russian media quoted the spokesman for the Russian Navy, Gen. "All the information spread by some mass media and social networks that the cause of the shipwreck in the Sea of Okhotsk of a big autonomy trawler Dalniy Vostok could have been a collision with a Russian submarine is false," Konashenkov said. The 'Dalniy Vostok' freezer trawler capsized in the Sea of Okhotsk 330 km west of Krutogorovsky settlement in Russia's far eastern Kamchatka peninsula and 250 km south of the city of Magadan on Thursday.
It's Official: Sweden Boosts Submarine Fleet
Sweden has given a long-awaited green light to the planned procurement of two new-generation A26 submarines from Saab Kockums. Sweden's official announcement ordering two new submarines to boost its armed forces, months after a futile hunt for a suspected Russian mini-sub in the Stockholm archipelago. A statement released by the defence minister's office on 19 March said that the A26 order will secure Sweden's submarine capability beyond 2030. The subs are also set to be delivered by 2022 at the latest. "The order... will ensure Sweden's underwater capacity beyond 2030," Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist said in a statement. "Underwater capacity is a central part of Sweden's defence in peace time, as well as during emergencies and war," the ministry added.
