Sweden's sonar message to Russian submarines: this way if you are gay
Underwater sonar device off coast of Sweden emits morse code to submarines
A Swedish peace group says it has lowered a sonar device into the Baltic Sea off Stockholm to deter Russian submarines, emitting the message "this way if you are gay".
The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society's (SPAS) cheeky device emits the message in Morse code and is designed to scare off subs from Russia, which does not share Sweden's acceptance of homosexuality.
The so-called Singing Sailor also features a flashing pink neon outline of a seaman clad only in white underpants and a boater's hat, gyrating his hips above the text "Welcome to Sweden - Gay Since 1944".
That was the year when Sweden decriminalised homosexuality. In contrast, rights groups have recently sounded the alarm over a rising number of homophobic attacks in Russia, saying a ban on "gay propaganda" effectively legalises discrimination.
SPAS said on its website that its device was made to provide "interesting info for any submarines passing close by".
In October last year, Sweden's navy launched a massive hunt for a foreign submarine, suspected to be Russian, in the Stockholm archipelago.