The head of NATO has mocked the Russian submarine Novorossiysk, which is "swimming home" after a failed patrol off the coast of France.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the submarine appeared "lonely and limping", adding that the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean "has practically ceased to exist".
"There's a lonely, limping Russian submarine returning home from its patrol," he observed.
Moscow claimed the ship surfaced only to comply with navigation rules in the English Channel, but Dutch authorities said it was actually being towed through the North Sea.
The Russian submarine has reportedly suffered severe damage and fuel has flooded the interior.
Rutte sarcastically compared the situation to Tom Clancy's "The Hunt for Red October," noting: "Today it's less about hunting an enemy - and more about hunting the nearest mechanic."