Sweden's military says it may use force to bring a suspected foreign vessel photographed underwater in the Stockholm archipelago to the surface.
The supreme commander of Swedish armed forces, General Sverker Goeranson, told reporters Tuesday in Stockholm that he was ready to use “weapons if necessary” to force the mystery vessel to surface.
Since Friday, naval ships, helicopters and more than 200 troops have searched an area about 30 to 60 kilometers off Sweden's eastern coast after a “man-made object” was spotted in the waters.
There has been speculation that the object is a Russian mini-submarine, but Swedish authorities have not referred to Russia publicly.
Russia has denied having a submarine in the area, and said Monday the vessel could be a Dutch submarine that had participated in military exercises off Sweden's coast.
The Dutch defense ministry said later on Monday that its submarine already had docked in the Estonian capital Tallinn after military exercises with the Swedish navy.
