Royal Navy and RAF shadow Russian ships in UK waters
UK warships have shadowed a Russian task group as it passed through British waters, the Royal Navy has said.Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset and minehunter HMS Cattistock, along with RFA Tidesurge and Navy helicopters, monitored and reported every move of the four Russian vessels as they passed through the English Channel and the North Sea .The Russian ships, which included destroyer RFN Severomorsk, landing ship RFN Alexander Shabalin and two transport ships, MV Sparta IV and MV Siyanie Severa, were sailing east towards the Baltic Sea.It marks the third time in six weeks that the Royal Navy has shadowed Russian task groups returning from Syria.
The Royal Navy said its operation began on Sunday after tanker Tidesurge had monitored the destroyer in the North Sea and through the Strait of Dover.HMS Somerset and her Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron then began shadowing the Russian task group's escort, Severomorsk, south of Portsmouth and the RAF deployed a P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth, collecting vital information as the Russians made their journey.
The Udaloy-class Severomorsk then met the cargo and landing ships in the western reaches of the Channel, off Cornwall, where minehunter HMS Cattistock was already monitoring the Russian group.As the Russian ships sailed back east through the Channel and the North Sea towards the Baltic Sea, the Royal Navy ships deployed powerful sensors and launched the Merlin and Wildcat helicopters to report on every move.Commanding Officer of HMS Somerset Joel Roberts, said of the operation that the ship's company had shown "great professionalism" and praised the strength of the co-ordinated Nato response, saying that "the ability to deliver integration of air and maritime operations remain some of our greatest assets."
The first recent operation saw the Royal Navy shadow a Russian task group in mid-February when HMS Iron Duke, HMS Tyne and RFA Tideforce monitored five ships, including three merchant vessels, as they sailed from Syria heading to a Russian Baltic port.Two weeks later, HMS Somerset was used to complete a three-day mission watching RFN Boikiy as the corvette escorted a merchant vessel on its voyage.Neither occasion was the first time Russian ships had been spotted or monitored in UK waters.
In January, Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs the Royal Navy had monitored a Russian spy ship - accusing the vessel, Yantar, of being used to gather intelligence and map the UK's underwater infrastructure.And in June 2024 a Russian submarine was spotted off Scotland's west coast before it arrived in Havana, Cuba, a week later.Speaking of the latest operation, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said he was "grateful" to all the personnel who shadowed the Russian convoy."Russia should be in no doubt that the UK will defend our waters," he said.
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NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
After a jet crashed into their neighborhood, some survivors say their emotional recovery is stunted by living so close to a busy airport. Ariana Drehsler for NBC News; AP U.S. news A jet crashed into their neighborhood. Now they live in dread below an active flight path. 'We hold our breath now every time a plane goes over,' said Srujana McCarty, who was sleeping when the private jet hit her family's San Diego home.
June 8, 2025, 7:00 AM EDT By Melissa Chan Srujana McCarty shields her head with her hands when an aircraft flies overhead. It's an involuntary reaction now, much like how her neighbors Aislyn Maupin and Renee Rivera freeze up and fixate on passing planes and jets until they're out of sight. They know it's improbable for an aircraft to plummet from the sky above them. But one did two weeks ago as they slept. On May 22, a pilot attempting to land a private jet at an airport nearby struck power lines and crashed into their San Diego military housing neighborhood, killing all six passengers on board, officials said. While the lives on the ground were spared, the disaster displaced dozens of families and shattered their sense of safety. McCarty's and Rivera's children still see the phantom flames down their hallways and streets. 'It's a new fear unlocked,' McCarty said. The survivors are trying to recover. But they live below an active flight path about 2 miles from the airport. About every 30 minutes, an aircraft roars above and brings them back to the morning fire roused them out of bed. 'It terrifies me knowing that we have planes coming over here all day, all the time,' Rivera said. 'It's a lot to be reminded of every single day.' 'Everything on fire all at once' On the night of the crash, before McCarty and her husband, Ben, went to sleep, they tucked in their two young sons, put their dogs in crates, locked their doors and set the alarm. 'Everything was set up for their safety,' said Ben McCarty, 33, who has served in the Navy for 13 years. Stillness fell over Murphy Canyon, home to more than 4,900 Navy families in one of the largest military housing complexes in the world. Then, just before 4 a.m., a Cessna 550 Citation jet slammed into the front yard of the McCartys' home, partially collapsing their roof and thrusting one of their trucks into the living room. Waves of heat from the fire instantly penetrated their bedroom, jolting them awake. 'The impact rushed over me,' Ben McCarty said. 'I felt like this strong wind or force, the heat.' Srujana McCarty, 32, let out a nightmarish shriek. But outside, the deafening booms from exploding cars and the panicked voices of other neighbors screaming to find their children drowned her out. The couple grabbed their sons, ages 2 and 4, and their dogs. The path to the front door was blocked by fire. The wall where their wedding photos hung was crumbling and burning, so the family fled out the back. Next door, Maupin was in a deep sleep when her 14-year-old daughter barged into her bedroom, screaming about a fire outside of her open window. In disbelief, Maupin looked outside and found a hellscape. 'The whole street was just in flames,' she said. Jet fuel snaked down the street, setting every vehicle in its path ablaze, law enforcement officials said. 'Everything on fire all at once,' San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told reporters. 'It was pretty horrific to see.' Maupin said people were knocking on doors, telling people their homes were on fire. 'People were pushing us and telling us we had to go this way,' she said. Maupin and her daughter helped their neighbors evacuate, each taking a baby to safeguard. Maupin remembers seeing a young woman, standing alone in the middle of the street, paralyzed in fear. 'People were screaming, 'Where are my kids?'' she said. 'Things are exploding everywhere.' Nearby, Rivera heard banging on her front door. She had seen the light from the explosion but thought it must have been lightning. 'I never in a million years thought a plane hit the ground,' she said. Half asleep, Rivera, 28, herded her 2-year-old asthmatic daughter, grandmother, two dogs and two guinea pigs into a car. As she drove away, she thought of all the children in the neighborhood. Her heart sank, thinking there was no way everyone in the neighborhood would survive. But miraculously no one on the ground was killed. 'Seeing it happen firsthand right in front of you,' she said, 'it changes everything.' McCarty replays each moment of her family's escape when she suddenly wakes up every morning around 3:45 a.m. at roughly the time of the crash. The sleepless nights are hard, but so are the days when planes seem to be constantly flying overhead. 'We hold our breath now every time a plane goes over,' she said. The McCartys are staying in a temporary house in the same military housing community until they're able to move into a new unit in about a week. They had only one plea for those tasked with their relocation. 'We asked to get out of the flight path,' Ben McCarty said. 'It was the No. 1 priority for both of us — anywhere away from the flight path.' Their neighbor, Thomas Lawrence, said his three young children had the same request. 'We had to change streets because they didn't want to live close to the scene of the crash anymore,' he said. 'It was unanimous. Even I didn't want to go back either.' Life under a flight path The Navy families live in the shadow of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, which primarily serves small aircraft and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to its website. The airport sees more than 386,000 takeoffs and landings a year. The six passengers aboard the private jet were headed there from New Jersey, the National Transportation Safety Board said. Their cross-country flight was about 2 miles southeast of the airfield when, amid dense fog, the jet struck high-tension power lines and went down around 3:47 a.m., officials said. There were no survivors aboard. Music talent agent Dave Shapiro, 42, was killed, as were two employees of his Sound Talent Group, Kendall Fortner, 24, and Emma Huke, 25, according to the city's medical examiner's office. The crash also killed Daniel Williams, 39, a drummer for the band The Devil Wears Prada; Dominic Damian, 41, a software engineer; and Celina Kenyon, 36, a photographer. The cause of the crash is under investigation. A spokesperson for the NTSB said the agency expects to release its preliminary report in the next few weeks. In the immediate aftermath, it displaced about 100 residents, Wahl, the police chief, said. About 39 families were temporarily relocated, and two homes were significantly damaged, according to Gail Miller, chief operating officer of Liberty Military Housing, which provides homes for the families. Miller said the housing provider worked closely with the families to determine their preferences, recognizing that many would not want to return to their original units. Today, Miller said, 31 families have either returned to their original home in Murphy Canyon or have accepted a new home in the same community or elsewhere. The crash was the latest in a string of deadly aviation accidents this year that has sparked fear and unease. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said the skies are safe, pointing to 35 million annual flights that occur in the U.S. with very few incidents. An NBC News analysis of federal data also shows that incidents and deaths on flights have not been rising compared with previous years, and that the number of deaths aboard aircraft in the U.S. is also on the decline. Still, for survivors triggered by the sight of an aircraft, the statistics do little to ease anxieties. In the aftermath of some cases of aviation trauma, constant exposure to planes and jets can be helpful in overcoming fears, but for others, the overexposure can prevent recovery, said Jessica Auslander, a North Carolina-based psychologist with the Centre for Aviation Psychology. 'The brain becomes hypervigilant for any other future signs of danger, to protect ourselves,' she said. 'It has basically learned, hey, this is possible. How can we keep ourselves safe?' Symptoms are most intense in the first few weeks after the incident but generally ease within one to three months, Auslander said. To help get the families back on their feet, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society said it has provided more than $80,000 in emergency assistance to more than 80 families affected by the crash. The funds have gone toward insurance deductibles, uniform replacement, temporary housing costs, food and household essentials, said retired Navy Rear Adm. Dawn Cutler, the nonprofit's chief operations officer. 'It's going to be a road to recovery,' Cutler said. For the families beginning to settle into their new homes, the emotional healing comes next. Maupin grew up in the area by the airport, desensitized to planes. Now, when one passes, she says, 'everything stops and I just dissociate.' 'It's hard to conceptualize knowing you were so close to no longer being here anymore,' she said. Rivera closes her eyes when she has to drive by the scene of the crash to leave the area. But her 2-year-old daughter stares directly at it. 'She says there's fire, there's fire everywhere,' Rivera said, adding that her daughter will begin seeing a therapist. The McCartys, too, said they plan to seek counseling. 'We've somehow shut down and went numb just so we can move on,' Srujana McCarty said. Her husband said the crash has left him feeling helpless. When they were looking for their replacement home, he said, his family's protection was the only thing that mattered. 'We didn't look if the kitchen was big,' he said. 'We looked in the backyard and said, where is the escape route?' Melissa Chan Melissa Chan is a reporter for NBC News Digital with a focus on veterans' issues, mental health in the military and gun violence.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Mum left upset after in-laws call her daughters' names 'disgusting'
A mum has taken to the internet to ask for advice after her in-laws said that the names she had chosen for her daughters were 'disgusting' – but she thinks they're normal Choosing a baby name can be a daunting task given the plethora of options available. Parents often strive to select a name that not only appeals to them but will also suit their child as they grow older. The process becomes even more challenging when family members voice their opinions on your chosen names, particularly if they're negative. This was the predicament faced by one mum who took to Reddit to share her in-laws' harsh criticism of her daughters' "normal" names, which they labelled as "disgusting". Posting on the r/namenerds forum, the woman titled her thread 'Have I messed up?' She then shared: "I (29F) have two daughters and my third (which is a baby girl) is due in a week or so, my in-laws are so disapproving of their names. "I believe my daughters have normal names. My MIL said they are disgusting names. My kids are called Natasha and Julia, normal names right? Not according to my family." She continued: "Me and my husband have agreed on Anastasia for our baby girl. And my in-laws hate it. My side of the family is Russian, I grew up in Russia, my name is Melaniya but I go by Melissa since I live in the US. "My husband and I adore Russian names for our children, hence why they all have Russian names. My husband's side of the family says that it is a selfish decision to just be thinking of my own nationality." Seeking opinions, she asked: "What are your thoughts? I genuinely love my children's names but my husband said it is unusual for children in the US to have these names." Many Reddit users rallied around her, affirming that the names were perfectly acceptable and criticising her in-laws' behaviour. One user responded: "These names are not unusual in the US at all. I think the behaviour of your in-laws is what's disgusting here. I'm not sure where your husband grew up that regular names are unusual to him. I wish you didn't have to deal with such awful people." Another chimed in: "Natasha and Julia are both incredibly common American names. Your in laws just hate you." A third agreed: "Don't waste any more energy trying to appease them. There have been two First Ladies of the USA named Julia: Julia Tyler and Julia Grant and the current first lady is Melania. In-laws are just looking for something to be upset about and this is the best they could come up with." While a fourth added: "'Disgusting?' That's so rude no matter what the name is. But honestly I don't understand the fuss at all, these are extremely 'normal' and common names in the US."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'I picked normal names for my daughters but in-laws say they're disgusting'
Choosing a baby name is hard thing to do and it doesn't make it any easier when you have family chiming in with their views, especially if they're negative. This was the case for one mum Picking a baby name is hard thing to do with so many choices out there. Parents often want to pick a moniker that they like, but will also suit their child and will be suitable for them in years to come. It doesn't make it any easier when you have family chiming in with their views on your baby names, especially if they're negative. This was the case for one mum, who has taken to Reddit to share how her in-laws have branded her daughter's names "disgusting", even though she says they're "normal" names. Writing on the r/namenerds forum, the woman titled her post, 'Have I messed up?'. She then wrote: "I (29F)have two daughters and my third (which is a baby girl) is due in a week or so, my in-laws are so disapproving of their names. "I think my daughters have normal names. My MIL said they are disgusting names. My kids are called Natasha and Julia, normal names right? Not to my family." She added: "Me and my husband have agreed on Anastasia for our baby girl. And my in-laws hate it. My side of the family is Russian, I grew up in Russia, my name is Melaniya but I go by Melissa since I live in the US. "My husband and I love Russian names for our children, hence why they all have Russian names. My husbands side of the family says that it is a selfish decision to just be thinking of my own nationality." Asking people for their views, she concluded: What are your thoughts? I genuinely love my children's names but my husband said it is unusual for children in the US to have these names." Many fellow Reddit users assured the woman that the names were fine and slammed the behaviour of her in-laws. One person wrote: "These names are not unusual in the US at all. I think the behaviour of your in-laws is what's disgusting here. I'm not sure where your husband grew up that regular names are unusual to him. I wish you didn't have to deal with such awful people." While another added: "Natasha and Julia are both incredibly common American names. Your in laws just hate you." A third echoed: Agree. Don't waste any more energy trying to appease them. There have been two First Ladies of the USA named Julia: Julia Tyler and Julia Grant and the current first lady is Melania. In-laws are just looking for something to be upset about and this is the best they could come up with." While a fourth added: "'Disgusting?' That's so rude no matter what the name is. But honestly I don't understand the fuss at all, these are extremely 'normal' and common names in the US."
