Sweden releases sonar images of submarine violation

Sweden has released an image of underwater tracks which it says is clear proof that a foreign submarine illegally entered its waters last month, in an event which triggered a national search mission reminiscent of the cold war.

The sonar image shows tracks on the sea floor, which the head of the armed forces says were left by the submarine. “The military can confirm that a small submarine breached Sweden’s territorial waters. We can exclude all alternative explanations,” General Sverker Göranson told a news conference.

He said Sweden was no closer to finding out which country was behind the incursion. Suspicion had fallen on Russia, but its defence ministry denied the allegation, dismissing the Swedish search operation as a “tragicomedy”.

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