The Viktor Leonov, a Vishnya-class vessel, sailed along the Outer Hebrides between September 29 and October 8, the ministry said, and “closely monitoring NATO warships” taking part in the Strike Warrior exercise, which involved about 2,000 personnel from six countries including Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States.
Merlin helicopters flew from Culdrose in Cornwall to track it. Captain James Hall said the response showed the air arm had passed the test.
Hall said the operation showed Britain was “willing and capable of securing the homeland 24/7”.
The ministry said it was not an isolated case. In early October, the destroyer HMS Dauntless and patrol vessel HMS Tyne met the Russian frigate Neustrashimy in the English Channel.
The Royal Navy said Russia had been forced to deploy the frigate for the past three months to protect illegal shipments.
Later in the month, HMS Tyne was assigned to watch another Russian vessel, the Aleksandr Shabalin, which the ministry said was escorting a merchant ship and a tug through the Channel.
Government figures show Royal Navy responses to Russian warship activity in and near British waters in the first seven months of the year were up by a quarter on a year earlier.
(jh)
Source: PAP, UK Defence Journal