LONDON, Nov 24: The Royal Navy intercepted and shadowed a Russian warship and tanker after shadowing them through the English Channel, the UK Defence Ministry.
The UK Defence Ministry said that the Russian navel activity around UK waters had increased by 30 percent over the past two years.
According to the ministry, the patrol vessel HMS Severn monitored the RFN Stoikiy corvette and an accompanying tanker as they transited through the Dover Strait before heading west through the English Channel. The ministry did not specify the exact timing of the interception.
HMS Severn later handed over primary monitoring duties to “a NATO ally,” though the vessel continued to observe the Russian ships from a distance, the ministry added.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said that another Russian vessel, the Yantar, allegedly directed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots who were tracking its movements near the edge of British waters.
The announcement comes days after Defence Secretary John Healey said the Russian “spy ship” Yantar had aimed lasers at pilots of UK surveillance aircraft monitoring its movements near Scotland – an action Britain described as “reckless and dangerous.” Healey warned that the U.K. would respond decisively to any Russian intrusion into its territory.
“My message to Russia and to Putin is this: We see you. We know what you’re doing,” Healey said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in London maintained that it is an “oceanographic research vessel” operating legally in international waters, insisting that Russia’s activities do not affect UK interests or threaten its security. (UNI)
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