The Cold War is back! Swedish Navy at action stations to hunt mystery foreign submarine in waters once popular with Soviet stealth raiders
Sweden's military investigating reports of 'foreign underwater activity'
Chief of operations Jonas Wikstrom says information 'from credible source'
Search follows last month's interception of Russian airplanes by UK jets
By Ian Broad for MailOnline
Published: 12:29 EST, 18 October 2014 | Updated: 15:00 EST, 18 October 2014
Sweden's military is investigating reports of 'foreign underwater activity' in the Stockholm archipelago using high-tech-equipped naval vessels, aircraft and home guard forces.
Chief of operations Jonas Wikstrom says information 'from a credible source' sparked the operation on Friday and was being investigated as part of a wider intelligence operation.
Wikstrom refused to give further details about the operation, except saying the purpose was to find out whether 'there had been or still is ongoing foreign underwater activity'.
He also declined to say whether they had been in contact with other countries.
In a statement on The Local website, Wikstrom was quoted as saying: 'We have support for the analysis work we are now carrying out in the area in the form of ships, planes and territorial army personnel.
'The coast guard came in over the inlet with an airplane and flew round and round for a long time,' he said, adding that he also spotted a large military craft near the island of Kanholmsfjärden.
Neutral Sweden's armed forces have ruled out that it could be some sort of natural phenomenon.
The operation was reminiscent of the Cold War, when Sweden's armed forces routinely hunted for Soviet submarines in its waters.
The underwater activity comes in the wake of last month's aerial interception of Russian planes by UK jets.
Chief of operations Jonas Wikstrom speaks at a press conference after reports of foreign underwater activity in the Stockholm Archipelago
It was the first time a Quick Reaction Alert had occurred since the base took on the role of defending the UK's Northern airspace.
In June two Typhoon jets were scrambled into action to head off four separate groups of Russian aircraft that were flying near the Baltic.
The jets were deployed to ensure the Russian planes didn't enter the airspace of Estonia, Lithuania or Latvia.
The Ministry of Defence said the aircraft appeared to be carrying out a 'routine training' exercise in international airspace and were later escorted out of the area.
That incident followed another where four Typhoons were sent to the Siauliai air base in Lithuania in May to support a Polish-led Nato force which was operating in the region.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2798441/the-cold-war-swedish-navy-action-stations-hunt-mystery-foreign-submarine-waters-popular-soviet-stealth-raiders.html#ixzz3GbIGb5lt Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
