Swedish Navy confirms investigation of border violation

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The image of the submarine, taken by Hanna Harge in April.
Image: Hanna Harge.

The Swedish Navy have released a picture regarding a foreign submarine discovered in the Saltsjöbaden river of Lake Mälaren in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, situated on the western coast of the Baltic Sea.

The submarine was seen by Hanna Harge, a 40-year-old entrepreneur who lives locally, when walking with her dog on the morning of 13 April this year. She woke up her family, brought them to the location and took pictures of the submarine, before it disappeared. She and her family immediately called the Swedish Navy, believing it to be an exercise, and told them to hide the vessel better.

The Navy, however, had no knowledge of such an exercise, and no reports from other nations regarding the submarine. Soon afterwards, the Navy's intelligence agency visited Harge, taking the pictures to technical staff. The Harge family compares them to the submarines of the former Soviet Union and the early Russian Federation which allegedly violated Sweden's border in the same vicinity.

In addition to the Armed Forces of Sweden, other government agencies are also involved in the investigation such as SMHI and Environmental Protection Agency. According to Andersson Larsson of the technical staff, the proceedings of the investigation are classified and it is expected to be finished and sent to the Government of Sweden within two months.

Sources