Russian spy ship intercepted off Outer Hebrides

Press and Journal

5 days ago

The Royal Navy has been watching a Russian spy ship spotted in the Outer Hebrides.
HMS Dragon – a Type 45 air-defence destroyer – monitored the Russian intelligence gathering vessel as it sailed in UK waters.
A Merlin helicopter was launched to help keep the Yuri Ivanov under surveillance while it was off the coast of Scotland.
Though the Royal Navy revealed details of the stand-off, it did not confirm the exact location.
The Russian vessel eventually headed north towards the Arctic.
The two vessels found themselves sharing the same waters shortly after the completion of a major NATO exercise – Formidable Shield – which took place nearby.
Elsewhere, HMS Ledbury, HMS Hurworth and 814 Naval Air Squadron were activated to shadow the another Russian vessel, the RFN Stoikiy.
The warship sailed west through the English Channel to meet two merchant vessels, Sparta IV and General Skobelev, which were returning from the Mediterranean.
The Steregushchiy-class Russian corvette subsequently escorted the two cargo ships back to the Baltic Sea.
HMS Ledbury met Stoikiy late on May 18, monitoring the warship through the Dover Strait during its westbound journey before HMS Hurworth took over on May 19, off Brighton.
Hurworth kept watch as the Stoikiy met the two merchant vessels south-west of Land's End.
The minehunter then tracked the group eastbound through the Channel and into the North Sea until the operation ended on the afternoon of May 22.
The Merlin Mk2 from 814 Naval Air Squadron, based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, monitored the Russian group.
Aircraft and warships from NATO allies were also involved.
Commanding officer of HMS Ledbury, Craig Clark, said: 'Escorting Russian vessels through UK waters is a vital demonstration of our unwavering commitment to national security.'