NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte gives remarks in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Oct. 13, 2025. Rutte poked fun at Russia’s navy during the speech, pointing to news that the Russian submarine Novorossiysk had recently surfaced off the coast of France with mechanical issues. (NATO)
A Russian submarine that recently surfaced off the coast of France with mechanical issues is “limping home,” according to NATO’s top official, whose mocking remarks about the alliance’s nemesis preceded high-level talks this week.
“What a change from the 1984 Tom Clancy novel ‘The Hunt for Red October,’” Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday. “Today, it seems more like the hunt for the nearest mechanic.”
Rutte was speaking in the run-up to Wednesday’s meetings at NATO headquarters with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Rutte said that while Russia remains formidable, parts of its military have been hit hard by the war in Ukraine.
Hegseth and other defense ministers will discuss plans to further strengthen the bloc’s deterrence and defense posture, Rutte said. They also are expected to discuss ongoing alliance efforts to support Ukraine.
“We should not underestimate the threat from Russia, but we should not overestimate Russia’s capabilities either,” Rutte said during a speech in Slovenia.
Referring to the Russian vessel that surfaced last week near France, Rutte called it “a lone and broken Russian submarine limping home from patrol.” Moscow on Monday denied that the sub, the Novorossiysk, was having any mechanical problems.
Rutte, however, said Russia’s military is now stretched in Ukraine and beyond.
“Its Mediterranean task force was once a mix of surface ships, submarines and support vessels. Now, in effect, there is hardly any Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean left,” Rutte said.
Still, despite staggering losses, Russia is on a wartime footing, and Rutte said the country is now allocating 40% of its budget to a war economy.
“This year alone it is expected to roll out at least 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles and hundreds of Iskander missiles,” Rutte said.
On Wednesday, allies will focus on member countries’ efforts to increase defense spending and ramp up production of weapons and ammunition in response.
The meeting of defense ministers will be the first since recent NATO airspace violations by Russian drones and fighter planes. Those incidents prompted the alliance to boost its presence across the greater Baltic region.
On Sept. 10, NATO fighters for the first time in history shot down an aerial threat in the bloc’s airspace after numerous Russian drones crossed into Poland. Days later, three armed Russian fighter planes lingered in Estonian airspace for about 10 minutes.
Such actions — along with covert Russian sabotage campaigns, cyberoperations and espionage across Europe — make Russa a persistent threat, Rutte said.
“While Russia is not as strong as it would pretend, it remains deeply dangerous,” Rutte said. “And that is why it is absolutely essential that we ensure we are prepared.”