Nine Russian warships near UK escorted by Royal Navy and NATO allies
The Royal Navy showed its flexibility in being able to shadow the Russian vessels, says a British naval commanding officer.
Royal Navy and NATO vessels have escorted nine Russian warships in waters close to the UK.
“The Royal Navy demonstrated its flexibility in being able to shadow the Russian Navy units,” said Commander Will Paston, Commanding Officer of the frigate HMS Westminster.
“While the Russian Navy operated in a safe and professional manner, HMS Westminster combined with NATO-allied units across the North Sea and Baltic Sea to escort them throughout.”
It is not the first time this year that Russian warships have been detected in waters near the UK.
In March, seven Russian warships were shadowed by nine Royal Navy vessels after detecting “unusually high levels of activity” in the Channel and North Sea.
And in February, the Royal Navy was involved in a five-day operation escorting Russian warships through the English Channel.
HMS Westminster is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy, based in Portsmouth.
She was deployed in August last year to shadow the Chinese warship Xian up the English Channel, and to Gibraltar amid tensions between Spain and the British territory in August 2013.
