Swedish Prime Minister Going to Moscow To Resolve 'Periscope Problem'

This intelligence assessment, published by IZVESTIYA on February 3, 1993, details the diplomatic mission of Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt to Moscow. The primary objective of the visit was to address the long-standing 'periscope problem'—the recurring issue of unidentified foreign submarines violating Swedish territorial waters. The document highlights that the Swedish government sought to obtain an admission from Russian authorities regarding these incursions, which the Swedish leadership had historically attributed to Soviet, and subsequently Russian, vessels. The report notes that the issue had become a significant point of contention in bilateral relations, with some Swedish officials, such as Commodore Carl Andersson, previously dismissing the submarine sightings as a 'figment of the imagination similar to flying saucers.' The assessment further reports that Swedish authorities possessed magnetic tape recordings of submarine noises, though these were described as being of 'very poor quality,' making it impossible to draw definitive conclusions about the origin of the vessels. Conversely, the Russian Navy's Main Staff maintained that no such incursions had occurred, with the exception of a single incident in 1981. The document concludes by noting that the Prime Minister's visit was intended to establish a pledge of cooperation between Sweden and Russia to 'search for the truth' regarding these maritime incidents.