Putin unleashes his SUPER-STEALTH submarines in the Black Sea after vowing ‘we will never let it become NATO’s lake’
The Russian strongman believes the heavily-armed subs will help maintain Russia's dominance of the strategic sea
VLADIMIR Putin has deployed his fearsome super-stealth submarines into the Black Sea - as his close aide vowed it will never become "a NATO lake".
The so-called Veliky Novgorod - armed with surface-to-air missiles, torpedoes and land mines - was unveiled in St Petersburg earlier this week.
The massive steel ships are the latest generation of Russian submarines and can carry a crew of 52 at sea for up to 45 days.
The 4,000 tonne vessels hit a top speed of 20 knots, and are equipped to strike underwater, above ground or at airborne targets.
It comes as Putin's representative to NATO laughed off Turkish concerns about Russia's presence in the area - which it now dominates having annexed The Crimea in 2014.
According to , Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko said the Black Sea fleet was helping "stabilise the Mediterranean".
He added: "Today, NATO is seeking to transfer confrontational schemes into the Black Sea waters.
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said recently that the Black Sea has nearly turned into a ‘Russian lake’ because of NATO’s absence there.
"But NATO understands it perfectly well that the Black Sea will never be a NATO lake, and we are doing our best to neutralise possible threats and attempts to exert pressure on Russia from the south."
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