Two Russian warships have been intercepted within the English Channel by the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has stated.
Within the newest incident involving Russia’s ships getting into waters across the UK, HMS Severn headed off the RFN Stoikiy, a corvette and Yelnya, a tanker, as they sailed west via the Dover Strait into the English Channel prior to now fortnight.
Final week, it emerged that the Russian spy ship Yantar was noticed off the coast of Scotland and it used lasers to disrupt RAF pilots monitoring its actions.
Defence Secretary John Healey branded the Yantar’s transfer “deeply harmful” and warned Russia and its president Vladimir Putin: “We see you. We all know what you are doing. We’re prepared.”
Healey stated final week that there had been a 30% enhance in Russian vessels threatening UK waters prior to now two years.
The MoD stated after intercepting the Stoikiy and the Yelnya, the HMS Severn later handed over monitoring duties to a Nato ally off the coast of Brittany, north west France.
It stated the UK ship “continued to watch from a distance and remained prepared to answer any surprising exercise”.
It isn’t the primary time the Stoikiy has been in British territory.
In Could, the Royal Navy dispatched two vessels and the 814 Naval Air Squadron – often known as the “flying tigers” – to shadow the Russian warship because it sailed west via the English Channel to fulfill the Sparta IV and General Skobelev.
The 2 service provider vessels have been getting back from the Mediterranean and the group headed again to the Baltic Sea, watched by HMS Hurworth.
Healey has stated that the rise in Russian exercise in UK waters was proof of elevated “Russian aggression proper throughout the board” which he says is impacting Europe, not simply Ukraine.
At a information convention in Downing Road final week, the defence secretary stated he had modified the Royal Navy’s guidelines of engagement in order that it may observe the Yantar extra intently “when it’s in our wider waters”.
In-built 2002, HMS Severn is a River-class offshore patrol vessel. Collectively together with her sister ships, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, the Royal Navy says the ships are capable of “escort passing international warships, mount fishing vessel inspections and defend the UK border”.
