Updated 11:02 a.m. Moscow time
MOSCOW, October 24 (RIA Novosti) – The Swedish Navy has halted its search for an alleged foreign submarine in the country's territorial waters near Stockholm, The Local cited the Navy as saying Friday.
"At 8 a.m. local time (06:00 GMT) a major naval operation, launched in the area of the [Stockholm] archipelago last Friday, has completed," the Navy said in a statement broadcast by the local television.
No reason was given for abandoning the search.
The Swedish Armed Forces had launched a major operation off the coast of Stockholm on October 17 after receiving information, reportedly from a civilian, about the presence of an unknown underwater object in the region.
Swedish media reports suggested that the object sought by Sweden could be a damaged Russian submarine, but the Russian Defense Ministry later denied the claim.
On October 22, the Swedish Armed Forces said the search for an alleged foreign submarine is entering a "new phase" and will continue for as long as necessary.
The new phase of the operation entailed the relocation of some of the units taking part in the search onto land, with crews of the vessels remaining on high alert.
