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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Putin spy ship is caught lurking near the Outer Hebrides during live drill on how to shoot down a Russian-style missile
A Russian warship has been caught spying on Britain's missile defences by the Royal Navy. Yuri Ivanov, one of Putin 's so-called research ships, was spotted lurking in waters off the Outer Hebrides during a live drill on how to shoot down a Russian-style missile. It is believed it was trying to watch the NATO exercise known as Formidable Shield, which involved the firing of a £1million Sea Viper missile at a target. The test, which involved HMS Dragon, one of the Navy's most powerful ships, was designed to simulate Moscow 's formidable hypersonic weapons. The Sea Viper obliterated the incoming missile - with the Navy hailing the live drill as a 'huge moment'. HMS Dragon, a Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer, then hunted down the Russian spy ship. It sent its Merlin helicopter up to collect information from above, until the Yuri Ivanov headed north back towards its home in the Arctic. Meanwhile on May 18, two other Navy ships - HMS Ledbury, HMS Hurworth - were sent out to monitor a Russian warship as it sailed through the Channel. Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw, commanding officer of HMS Hurworth, said: 'Monitoring activity on the seas and seabed around the UK is one of the core roles of the Royal Navy's 2nd Mine-Countermeasures Squadron. 'This operation was all in a day's work for the ship's company who have shown great professionalism. 'We have kept a constant watch to ensure the security and integrity of the UK's critical sea-lanes.' Lieutenant Commander Craig Clark, commanding officer of HMS Ledbury, said: 'Escorting Russian vessels through UK waters is a vital demonstration of our unwavering commitment to national security. 'Whilst the Hunt-class is uniquely equipped for mine and sea-bed warfare, maritime security remains a crucial task that any Royal Navy warship is trained to undertake.' Wayne Slater, from HMS Hurworth, said: 'Driving the ship close to the Russian vessels has been a new experience for me as a helmsman. 'Everything has been safe and professional but we're all trained to make sure we can respond to any aggression or incident whenever non-allied warships are operating near UK waters.' Lieutenant Patrick Bingham, gunnery officer from HMS Hurworth, added: 'As a former merchant navy officer, I know how important freedom of the seas is to the lifeline of goods and raw materials upon which our economy depends. 'The Royal Navy has been a guardian of the freedom of the seas for centuries and I am privileged to have contributed to this mission.'
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Russian warship lurking near Outer Hebrides spying on Britain's missile defences caught by Navy
The Yuri Ivanov, a so-called Russian research ship, was trying to watch a Nato live fire tests on shooting down a missile PUTIN MISSILE SPIES Russian warship lurking near Outer Hebrides spying on Britain's missile defences caught by Navy A RUSSIAN warship was caught by the Navy spying on Britain's missile defences. It was found lurking near the Outer Hebrides during Nato live fire tests on shooting down a Russian-style missile. Advertisement 4 Russian spy ship Yuri Ivanov is tracked by the Navy Credit: Royal Navy 4 HMS Hurworth shadowing warship Stoikiy in the Channel Credit: Royal Navy 4 HMS Hurworth and a helicopter during the alert Credit: Royal Navy The Yuri Ivanov, a so-called Russian research ship, was trying to watch the exercise, known as Formidable Shield. The drills involved HMS Dragon, one of the Navy's most powerful warships, firing a £1million Sea Viper missile at a target designed to simulate Moscow's formidable hypersonic weapons. The Navy hailed the test a 'huge moment' as the Sea Viper obliterated the incoming missile. Moments after the war games finished, HMS Dragon was ordered to hunt down Vladimir Putin's spy ship. Advertisement The Navy said: 'HMS Dragon launched her Merlin helicopter to collect information until the Yuri Ivanov headed north towards its Arctic home.' Separately two Navy minehunters, HMS Ledbury and HMS Hurworth, were scrambled in the Channel to shadow Russian corvette Stoikiy. Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw, captain of HMS Hurworth, said: 'This was all in a day's work for the ship's company.' 4 The Navy ordered one of its vessels to hunt down Vladimir Putin's spy ship Credit: Alamy Advertisement
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Russian warship lurking near Outer Hebrides spying on Britain's missile defences caught by Navy
A RUSSIAN warship was caught by the Navy spying on Britain's missile defences. It was found lurking near the Outer Hebrides during Nato live fire tests on shooting down a Russian-style missile. Advertisement 4 Russian spy ship Yuri Ivanov is tracked by the Navy Credit: Royal Navy 4 HMS Hurworth shadowing warship Stoikiy in the Channel Credit: Royal Navy 4 HMS Hurworth and a helicopter during the alert Credit: Royal Navy The Yuri Ivanov, a so-called Russian research ship, was trying to watch the exercise, known as Formidable Shield. The drills involved HMS Dragon, one of the The Navy hailed the test a 'huge moment' as the Sea Viper obliterated the incoming missile. Moments after the war games finished, HMS Dragon was ordered to hunt down Vladimir Putin's spy ship. Advertisement READ MORE ON RUSSIAN SPIES The Navy said: 'HMS Dragon launched her Merlin helicopter to collect information until the Yuri Ivanov headed north towards its Arctic home.' Separately two Navy minehunters, HMS Ledbury and HMS Hurworth, were scrambled in Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw, captain of HMS Hurworth, said: 'This was all in a day's work for the ship's company.' 4 The Navy ordered one of its vessels to hunt down Vladimir Putin's spy ship Credit: Alamy Advertisement Incredible moment a Royal Navy warship destroys a supersonic missile off Scots coast
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Russian warship lurking near Outer Hebrides spying on Britain's missile defences caught by Navy
A RUSSIAN warship was caught by the Navy spying on Britain's missile defences. It was found lurking near the Outer Hebrides during Nato live fire tests on shooting down a Russian-style missile. 4 4 4 The Yuri Ivanov, a so-called Russian research ship, was trying to watch the exercise, known as Formidable Shield. The drills involved HMS Dragon, one of the Navy's most powerful warships, firing a £1million Sea Viper missile at a target designed to simulate Moscow's formidable hypersonic weapons. The Navy hailed the test a 'huge moment' as the Sea Viper obliterated the incoming missile. Moments after the war games finished, HMS Dragon was ordered to hunt down Vladimir Putin's spy ship. The Navy said: 'HMS Dragon launched her Merlin helicopter to collect information until the Yuri Ivanov headed north towards its Arctic home.' Separately two Navy minehunters, HMS Ledbury and HMS Hurworth, were scrambled in the Channel to shadow Russian corvette Stoikiy. Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw, captain of HMS Hurworth, said: 'This was all in a day's work for the ship's company.' 4
Metro
3 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Royal Navy scrambled to monitor Russian ship loitering in UK waters
A Russian intelligence gathering ship was caught loitering in waters off Scotland for the second time this month, sparking a major Royal Navy response. Warships and helicopters scrambled to monitor the Yuri Ivanov in the Outer Hebrides shortly after a major NATO exercise, Formidable Shield, wrapped up nearby. HMS Dragon, a Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer, watched on and launched Merlin helicopters to collect information from above, until the Yuri Ivanov headed north towards its home in the Arctic. Meanwhile, HMS Ledbury, HMS Hurworth and 814 Naval Air Squadron were activated to shadow RFN Stoikiy as the Russian warship sailed west through the Channel to meet two merchant vessels, Sparta IV and General Skobelev, which were returning from the Mediterranean. It comes shortly after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP to protect working people and deliver on promised plans. Lieutenant Commander Craig Clark, Commanding Officer of HMS Ledbury, said: 'Escorting Russian vessels through UK waters is a vital demonstration of our unwavering commitment to national security. 'Whilst the Hunt-class is uniquely equipped for mine and sea-bed warfare, maritime security remains a crucial task that any Royal Navy warship is trained to undertake.' Russian ships have veered a bit too close for comfort to UK borders as of late, and a second, more sinister fleet sparked warnings about a potential environmental disaster. Russia's 'shadow fleet' of oil tankers is designed to avoid sanctions and poses a serious threat to the UK and other international waters. Members of parliament previously wrote a letter to Foreign Secretary David Lammy warning of the potentially catastrophic dangers from the 'ticking time-bomb' vessels. Labour's Uma Kumaran and Tim Roca have called for 'shadow-free' zones to be established in British waters to protect coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Mr Lammy issued a major sanctions package of the Russian shadow fleet late last year, but worried voices are still being raised in Westminster. These 'shadow' ships are often ageing vessels which have convoluted ownership, often in a bid to evade Western sanctions after Russia invaded Ukraine. More Trending Mr Roca said: 'With approximately 10 such tankers passing through the English Channel every day, the risk to our waters and coastal communities from these dangerous ships is immense. The UK should lead the way in enforcing maritime safety and environmental protection.' An investigation by the Kyiv School of Economics Institute (KSE) found Russia built its shadow fleet and found it bought older vessels for a cheaper price, largely ignoring maritime safety laws. 'The weak link in the regulatory framework, together with the dramatically expanded role of shadow tankers in the Russian oil trade means that a major environmental disaster is only a question of time.' Several close calls with these ageing ships have been reported in recent years, including one collision in Denmark last March. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Map shows average savings in different UK regions — how does yours compare? MORE: UK to train hackers to get revenge on Putin's cyber attacks MORE: Leader who killed 6,000,000 of his own honoured in new statue
