President Manila against intrusions into exclusive economic zone
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called the reported presence of a Russian submarine in the nation’s waters in addition to the massive Chinese one “very worrying.” “Any intrusion into the West China Sea, into our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), into our baselines is very worrying,” Marcos commented to the media, regarding what was reported by today’s Philippine newspaper Daily Inquirer, according to which a submarine Russian attack surfaced last week in the Manila EEZ, citing security sources.
The Ufa diesel-electric submarine of the Kilo II class was first sighted 148 kilometers west of Occidental Mindoro on November 28 and came from Malaysia, while the Philippine Navy sent an aircraft and a warship to track their movements. The 4,000 ton Kilo class submarines, when submerged, can go on patrol for 45 days: they were designed during the USSR in the 1970s, with upgrades in subsequent years. The Ufa, in particular, was commissioned in 2022 and is the fourth of the six units of Project 636.3 for the Russian Pacific Fleet. It is 74 meters long with a range of 12,000 km (7,500 miles) and is part of the improved Kilo-II submarines. Among the most advanced silent submarines, Ufa is capable of launching Kalibr missiles widely used in Ukraine. It has an operating depth of 240 meters and can dive to a maximum depth of 300 metres.
Last week, US Naval Institute News reported that the Russian submarine, with the rescue tug Alatau, was operating in the South China Sea after the grounding in Malaysia in November. The Ufa was supposed to return to the submarine base of the Russian Pacific Fleet in Kamchatka. The Russian surface action group, consisting of three corvettes and the Pechenga tanker, was also heading to the South China Sea after wrapping up a visit to Thailand. Finally, the American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort ships have been in these latter waters since last week.
