The Swedish military identified a submarine wreck found last week off the country’s east coast as a Russian vessel that dates all the way back to World War I.
"It was found outside the coast of Uppland (a region in central Sweden just north of Stockholm) and, according to the video material, it is a Russian 'Som' submarine, which sank after it collided with a Swedish vessel in 1916," Jesper Tengroth,
Swedish Armed Forces spokesman, announced on Tuesday, The Local reported.
“The Cyrillic letters on the hull indicates that it is Russian,” Stefan Hogeborn, a diver from
Ocean X Team, announced, according to Reuters. Hogeborn also said the vessel was in good condition and had no evident damage on its hull. The submarine’s hatches are closed, making it likely that the vessel’s inhabitants died within its walls.
The military halted its technical investigation after determining that the 66-foot submarine was more of a historical relic than a security interest.
“We won't take this forward with a technical analysis, because there is no military interest anymore. We have done our bit and have reported it to the government. They will take it further and then they have to agree with Russia about what to do," Tengroth announced, according to The Local.
The two countries’ tense naval history has prompted skeptics to worry that the vessel is more recent than authorities admit.
In the 1981 “Whisky on the Rocks” incident, a Soviet nuclear Whisky-class vessel got stuck in shallow waters near a Swedish naval base. The stranded submarine led to a standoff between the two countries until the Russian vessel was escorted out to international waters.
A more recent October incident incited further distress. The Swedish Navy had searched for days for a submarine off of the Nordic country’s coast after witnesses reported seeing some suspicious sights. Nearly a month after the start of the investigation, Swedish officials concluded that a submarine had occupied Swedish waters illegally. However, they could not determine the origins of the foreign vessel.
Russia’s recent annexation of Crimea and other aggressive behavior has also fueled Swedish skepticism.
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