©Shavr IK via Unsplash
On Monday, a Russian warship conducted a live-fire exercise near the southern coast of Britain, about 74 km south of Plymouth. The Russian frigate Neustrashimy, monitored by the Royal Navy, fired in international waters while London closely monitored the incident.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, the Royal Navy kept a constant eye on the operation and is monitoring the ship’s movements “closely.” Prior to the exercise , the Russian frigate had informed HMS Tyne— the British patrol ship shadowing the Russian vessel—of its intention to conduct a live-fire exercise. HMS Tyne was also asked to move to a safer distance, which the ship did. The exercise lasted about thirty minutes and took place in international waters, where such maneuvers are legally permitted. Nevertheless, the new British Defense Minister, Wes Streeting, called Moscow’s actions “hypocritical and irresponsible.” He said that Russia should be left in no doubt about the new government’s resolve.
Moscow denies that the action was a message to the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the BBC that all military exercises by Russian warships are conducted in accordance with international law and that, therefore, no special message should be read into them. At the same time, he himself cited British support for Ukraine as a signal of its own directed at Russia.
It was also notable that a French military aircraft followed the Russian unit and made radio contact to seek clarification on the purpose of the exercise. BBC analyses of ship and flight data also show that British military aircraft, including Typhoons, a tanker, and a helicopter, were active over and around the English Channel on Monday.
The incident is part of a broader increase in Russian maritime activity around British waters. Earlier this month, Royal Marines boarded a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the English Channel, and in June, a British couple on their sailboat encountered a Russian warship near the Isle of Wight.
©Shavr IK via Unsplash - illustrative image: this is not the actual ship in question.