Royal Navy warships intercept Russian vessels in English Channel

It was done in coordination with NATO allies

The Navy said that patrol ships based in Portsmouth, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, were dispatched alongside a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron to intercept Russian corvette Boikiy and oil tanker MT General Skobelev.

Russian vessels were first intercepted by Mersey on entry to the Channel, after they monitored them through the Bay of Biscay.

Severn and Mersey combined with the Wildcat to monitor the group in close coordination near the Isle of Wight, as they used powerful sensors to gather valuable information and report on their movements.

Before handing responsibility of the group to a NATO ally as they continued their journey north, Severn continued to keep watch on the Russians.

Minister for the Armed Forces Al Carns, said: “With this operation, our sailors have once again sent a message to Putin - we know exactly what his navy is doing. Every time a Russian ship comes near the UK, the Navy is ready to track, deter, and defend. I want to pay tribute to the professionalism of our personnel who work 24/7, 365 days a year to keep our nation safe.”

Commanding Officer of HMS Mersey, Lieutenant Commander Dan Wardle, said that “in what has been a busy start to the year, this operation provided another opportunity for my Ship’s Company to demonstrate their continued readiness and ability to safeguard the United Kingdom’s maritime interests.”

According to Lieutenant Commander Ross Gallagher, Senior Observer and Executive Officer of 815 NAS, “this activation once again demonstrated the extremely high readiness and professionalism that defines 815 Naval Air Squadron.”

“I am immensely proud of our engineers who keep our aircraft at peak performance, and our aircrew who deliver precise surveillance, rapid reporting, and tactical clarity at pace’”, he added.

“As Russian vessels transited the Channel, we kept the operational picture clear and seamlessly integrated with our colleagues in HMS Mersey and HMS Severn”.

According to the Royal Navy, the Russian ships were returning from a deployment in the Mediterranean and NATO warships closely watched them throughout their voyage.

Britain’s Armed Forces said that they routinely track and monitor suspected Russian shadow fleet activity in the vicinity of the UK and UK waters, and shares this information with Allies and partners.

“Deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government”, Defence Secretary John Healey said.