A Royal Navy patrol ship has intercepted two Russian warships in the English Channel, the Ministry of Defence has said.
It comes after Defence Secretary John Healey announced last Wednesday that lasers from spy ship the Yantar were directed at RAF pilots tracking its movements off the coast of Scotland.
In the latest incident, HMS Severn headed off the RFN Stoikiy, a corvette and Yelnya, a tanker, as they sailed west through the Dover Strait in a “round-the-clock shadowing operation”.
Severn later handed over monitoring duties to a NATO ally off the coast of Brittany, France, the MoD said, but continued to watch from a distance and remained ready to respond to any unexpected activity in the past fortnight.
Defence Secretary John Healey had branded the Yantar’s move “deeply dangerous” and warned Vladimir Putin: “We see you. We know what you’re doing. We are ready.”
The ministry added armed forces are on patrol “from the English Channel to the High North” amid increased Russian activity threatening UK waters.
Healey said last week that there had been a 30 per cent increase in Moscow’s clandestine activity.
It is not the first time the Stoikiy has been in British territory.
In May, the Navy dispatched two vessels and the 814 Naval Air Squadron - also known as the “flying tigers” - to shadow the Russian warship as it sailed west through the English Channel to meet the Sparta IV and General Skobelev.
The two merchant vessels were returning from the Mediterranean and the group headed back to the Baltic Sea, watched by HMS Hurworth.
Healey has said that the rise in Russian activity in UK waters was evidence of increased “aggression right across the board” which he says is impacting Europe, not just Ukraine.
Built in 2002, Severn is a River-class offshore patrol vessel. Together with her sister ships, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, the Navy says the ships are able to “escort passing foreign warships, mount fishing vessel inspections and defend the UK border”.
HMS Severn’s Commander Grant Dalgleish said: “This tasking shows the value of our patrol ships and reinforces the Royal Navy’s close liaison with our NATO allies in safeguarding the British people and protecting the internationally recognised waterways.
“I’m immensely proud of the way the ship’s company reacted to this activation, especially coming so quickly after a demanding period of regeneration and operational training.”
