Navy tracks suspicious Russian ‘spy ships' in the English Channel
The Royal Navy has tracked three suspicious Russian 'spy ships' in the English Channel.
A British minehunter and helicopter were deployed on Wednesday to escort Admiral Vladimirskiy, a Russian survey ship, as it travelled along the British south coast.
Built in Poland in the 1970s, the Vladimirskiy once served the Soviet Union and it is now suspected of being part of the Kremlin's shadow fleet of spy ships, which are fitted with monitoring equipment.
HMS Cattistock, which detects and destroys mines in the sea, worked closely with the Wildcat, a multi-role helicopter which operates from Royal Navy boats, to 'keep a constant watch' through the busy shipping lanes.
A Russian landing ship known as RFN Alexander Otrakovsky and a Russian merchant vessel known as MV Ascalon were later also escorted through the Channel and North Sea.
The two Russian ships had recently left the Mediterranean and were sailing towards the Baltic Sea when they were escorted by the British Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset and fleet tanker RFA Tidesurge.
Repeat offenders
The operations were revealed by the Royal Navy a week after its warships and helicopters tracked a Russian task group returning from Syria as it passed through British waters.
The same group, including the minehunter, the helicopter, the Type 23 Frigate and the tanker, were used to monitor and report every move of four Russian vessels as they passed through the English Channel and the North Sea.
It marked the third time in six weeks that the Royal Navy has shadowed Russian task groups returning from Syria.
HMS Cattistock's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Rob Garner, said: 'Cattistock has escorted a number of Russian warships and government-owned vessels through UK waters in recent weeks and months, demonstrating the Royal Navy's operational readiness and steadfast commitment to UK security at sea.
'I am extremely proud of my ship's company's professionalism and determination to get the job done as we continue to work closely with other Royal Navy ships and aircraft, the RAF P8 force and fellow Nato navies.'
The Royal Navy said that HMS Somerset has been activated three times to monitor Russian convoys returning from the Mediterranean in the past month alone.
Commander Joel Roberts said: 'Somerset has been frequently activated to conduct this type of operation given the tempo of Russian activity around the United Kingdom's territorial and sensitive waters.'
He added that the Royal Navy offers 'deterrence, persistence, flexibility and can deliver or facilitate a range of military and diplomatic options'.
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