A Russian Kilo-class submarine was spotted around 80 nautical miles off an island of the Philippines on Thursday. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed concern over the incident, labeling it as “very worrisome.”
However, the Philippine National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson stated that the Russian ship was technically exercising freedom of navigation. The submarine identified itself in response to a Philippine navy radio inquiry, stating it was on its way home to Vladivostok after participating in an exercise with the Malaysian navy.
President Marcos highlighted the seriousness of any intrusion into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, but refrained from commenting on the government’s intended actions. Meanwhile, the NSC downplayed the incident, emphasizing that foreign vessels can legally exercise freedom of navigation as long as they do not engage in illegal activities within Philippine waters.
The Russian embassy in Manila and the Philippine foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the matter. As of press time, there has been limited discussion among Russian mainstream media regarding the incident highlighted by the Philippine media.