Four Russian navy vessels, including a nuclear-powered submarine, sailed through the Soya Strait between Hokkaido and Russia’s Sakhalin on Monday, the Japanese Defense Ministry has said.
The presence of a Yasen-class vessel, Russia’s most advanced nuclear-powered attack submarine, was confirmed by the Maritime Self-Defense Force for the first time, the ministry said.
The MSDF spotted the four Russian navy vessels, also including an Udaloy-class frigate, advancing westward in the Sea of Okhotsk, about 80 kilometers northeast of Cape Soya in Hokkaido, at around 8 a.m. Monday, according to the ministry.
They then passed through the Soya Strait and proceeded to the Sea of Japan. An MSDF P-3C patrol plane conducted surveillance and intelligence gathering.