Latest news with #RussianWarship
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Royal Navy shadows Russian warship off Isle of Wight in security mission
Royal Navy vessels have tracked the movements of a Russian warship travelling off the Isle of Wight coast through the English Channel. HMS Mersey, a patrol ship often seen in the Solent, took over shadowing duties from Type 45 air defence destroyer HMS Duncan as the Russian corvette RFN Boikiy made its way back from deployment in the Gulf of Guinea. The operation, which involved careful monitoring of the vessel as it passed along the south coast of England, saw HMS Mersey meet the warship off the coast of the Island on Friday (June 20). A Royal Navy spokesperson confirmed that the Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Duncan first intercepted RFN Boikiy near the French island of Ushant before the handover to HMS Mersey. Portsmouth-based destroyer HMS Duncan Recommended reading: 'Possibly the rarest bird on the Island' caught on camera in woodland 'Amazing sight' as 93-year-old's rare plant grows as high as her house The move is part of a wider effort to keep tabs on foreign naval activity in the UK's waters. Luke Pollard, Minister for the Armed Forces, said: 'Russian warships are increasingly sailing through the English Channel, and every time they do, a Royal Navy vessel will be keeping an eye on them. 'I have every confidence, as should the British public, that our Royal Navy will continue to defend our waters and keep our undersea cables safe.' The Channel has seen heightened naval attention in recent months. HMS Mersey docked in Falmouth (Image: David Barnicoat) This latest mission follows closely on the heels of a similar operation involving HMS Trent and Wildcat helicopters, which monitored the passage of Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich past Gibraltar and through the Channel into the North Sea. Commander Daniel Lee, commanding officer of HMS Duncan, stressed the importance of these missions: 'Escorting foreign warships through waters near the UK is a vital part of our mission to protect our nation and uphold international maritime law. 'It's a clear demonstration of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our seas, which are so important to the lives and livelihoods of the British people.'
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
Russian naval ship 'disguised' itself while passing through English Channel
BBC A Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation has found. The Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on Saturday. On tracking sites it wrongly appeared as ships which have previously used that ID. BBC Verify matched the ID to the Boikiy by using satellite imagery, tracking data and a video of it passing under a bridge in Denmark. It travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products. BBC Verify has approached the Russian embassy in London for comment. But experts told BBC Verify that recent Western moves against the shadow fleet may have prompted Moscow to use its military to protect the tankers. Last month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew past a shadow fleet vessel and entered Estonian airspace after the country attempted to intercept the ship, which was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil. "The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, said. Attention was first drawn to the Boikiy on social media by independent open-source intelligence analyst Christian Panton on Bluesky. The ship is known to have left West Africa in June, where it was taking part in a diplomatic mission. Photos posted online showed the ship docked in Guinea's capital, Conakry. Russian Foreign Ministry The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without it. However, a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary Islands. The location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the ID. Frederik Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel. "Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal," he said. "So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon." Russian warship tracked near British waters UK to announce fresh sanctions on Putin's 'shadow fleet' Germany says Russian 'shadow' ship stuck in Baltic Sea The Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK. The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Boikiy. The Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel. A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the Boikiy as it passed through the Channel. Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship. All three vessels proceeded towards the Baltic Sea, where the Boikiy - still travelling under the fake AIS marker - was recorded passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark. Webcam footage showed the vessel clearly for the first time as a naval vessel. Its unclear where the vessels are bound for, though all three have continued sailing through the Baltic and may be moving towards ports in mainland Russia or Kaliningrad - an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate? Russia suffering 'environmental catastrophe' after oil spill in Kerch Strait Russia's economy is down but not out Royal Navy and RAF shadow Russian ships in UK waters Royal Navy English Channel Russia
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Telegraph
Russian warship ‘passed through English Channel in disguise'
A Russian warship passed through the English Channel in disguise over the weekend, according to reports. The corvette Boikiy, which has guided missiles and mounted machine guns, is said to have broadcast a fake ID signal as it travelled through the Channel on Saturday. It is not the first time this year the warship has entered British waters after being tracked in March making its way through the Channel and North Sea. This time, it reportedly travelled alongside two oil tankers, the Sierra and the Naxos, which are part of Russia's shadow fleet, a network of tankers that transport sanctioned Russian oil using deceptive practices. Using military ships as protection has been viewed as an attempt by Moscow to deter the UK and other Nato states from seizing shadow fleet vessels. Last month, a Russian shadow Kilo-class submarine, Krasnodar, was detected in the Channel, forcing the Navy to deploy HMS Tyne to track it. That came just two weeks after HMS St Albans and HMS Mersey shadowed Russian vessels through the Channel in a separate incident. At the same time, the number of Russian oil tankers passing through the Channel has almost doubled since London sanctioned Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, according to data analysis by The Telegraph. Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Centre for Naval Analyses, told the BBC: 'The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation.' BBC Verify, the broadcaster's fact-checking unit, said the Boikiy did not activate its tracking systems when it departed from Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in West Africa earlier this month. The ship reportedly failed to activate its automatic identification system (AIS), which alerts fellow seafarers and coastal authorities of its location, route and other safety-related information to aid safe passage at sea. Generic identification number Instead, it is said to have travelled under a generic identification number 400000000, which made it wrongly appear on tracking sites as previous vessels to have used that ID. Verify, which used satellite imagery, tracking data, and video footage to identify the warship, said it passed near the Canary Islands before meeting the two shadow tankers at the mouth of the Channel on June 20. The Royal Navy is reported to have shadowed the Boikiy as it then passed through the Channel towards the Baltic Sea. Webcam footage later appeared to show the warship passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark. Frederik Van Lokeren, an analyst and former officer in the Belgian navy, said it was unusual for a Russian warship to disguise itself. 'Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal,' he said. 'So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon.'
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Russian naval ship ‘disguised' itself while passing through English Channel
A Russian warship disguised itself using a fake ID signal while travelling through the English Channel with two sanctioned oil tankers, a BBC Verify investigation has Boikiy - a corvette armed with guided missiles - broadcast the fake ID code as it passed through the Channel on tracking sites it wrongly appeared as ships which have previously used that ID. BBC Verify matched the ID to the Boikiy by using satellite imagery, tracking data and a video of it passing under a bridge in travelled alongside two vessels known to be part of Russia's "shadow fleet" - a network of tankers whose ownership can be obscured and are used to transport sanctioned oil products. The Russian embassy in London did not respond to a BBC Verify request for comment. But experts told BBC Verify that recent Western moves against the shadow fleet may have prompted Moscow to use its military to protect the month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew past a shadow fleet vessel and entered Estonian airspace after the country attempted to intercept the ship, which was suspected of carrying sanctioned oil."The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation," Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Center for Naval Analyses, was first drawn to the Boikiy on social media by independent open-source intelligence analyst Christian Panton on ship is known to have left West Africa in June, where it was taking part in a diplomatic mission. Photos posted online showed the ship docked in Guinea's capital, Conakry. The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel."Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal," he said. "So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon."Russian warship tracked near British watersUK to announce fresh sanctions on Putin's 'shadow fleet' Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK. The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel.A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the ships as they passed through the images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship. All three vessels proceeded towards the Baltic Sea, where the Boikiy - still travelling under the fake AIS marker - was recorded passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in footage showed the vessel clearly for the first time as a naval vessel. Its unclear where the vessels are bound for, though all three have continued sailing through the Baltic and may be moving towards ports in mainland Russia or Kaliningrad - an exclave between Poland and Lithuania. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- 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.'
