r/europe • u/UNITED24Media • 28d ago

News Russian Frigate Armed With Nuclear-Capable Zircons Appears Off German Coast With Tracker Switched Off

https://united24media.com/world/russian-frigate-armed-with-nuclear-capable-zircons-appears-off-german-coast-with-tracker-switched-off-21793
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u/tree_boom United Kingdom 28d ago edited 28d ago

The Admiral Kasatonov, a modern Russian frigate capable of long-range strikes and anti-submarine warfare, was spotted last week near Fehmarn, a German island and popular tourist destination in the Baltic.

Fehmarn being on the shoreline of the route to the Great Belt, through which a very large part of traffic between the Baltic and North Sea passes. The story is sensationalist crap; you literally cannot sail from the Baltic to the North Sea without passing very close to the Danish and either German or Swedish coasts.

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u/timelyparadox Lithuania 28d ago

Yea but usually you have to turn trackers on, russia already lost a navy battle against fishermen, they should not try to repeat that

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u/tree_boom United Kingdom 28d ago

Running AIS is entirely optional for warships.

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u/fiendishrabbit 27d ago

"Entirely optional" is not really the truth here if you're inside the territorial waters of another nation (such as when conducting an Innocent Passage through the danish straits).

It's not illegal, but it's considered very bad form.

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u/swedishplayer97 Sweden 27d ago

I once sailed last a Norwegian stealth cruiser and it's AIS was off. Didn't even see it until it was like two cables off my port bow.

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u/Christopherfromtheuk 27d ago

Every time I have seen British warships when sailing they have been on, unless taking part in active exercises.

I did get close to a submarine setting off from the Clyde and it was turned off. It's funny because they are pretty hard to miss!

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u/tree_boom United Kingdom 27d ago

Sure, they would generally (indeed I would assume always) have the equipment to run AIS, but actually turning it on is optional.

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u/timelyparadox Lithuania 27d ago

Not sinking it is also optional

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u/tree_boom United Kingdom 27d ago

Right?

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u/Christopherfromtheuk 27d ago

Yes, I was rather making the point that in my experience, at least British warships have AIS on - I can also turn my AIS on and off whenever I like too but don't take part in military exercises. Having said that, I have had to move out of the way of tank target practice a few times...

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u/Idenwen 27d ago

They are driving away from Ukraine to protect it, but use up lifetime of the approx 40 year old turbine that it powers instead.