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Royal Navy discloses tracking of Russian ship near NATO exercise

The Royal Navy has disclosed operations tracking Russian vessels near Scotland and in the English Channel. It says helicopters followed the intelligence ship Viktor Leonov during NATO’s Strike Warrior exercise. The newly released account concerns operations in September and October, including the monitoring of warships escorting cargo vessels subject to British sanctions.

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Bow-on view of the Russian intelligence ship Viktor Leonov off the Outer Hebrides, with a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter following above the sea behind it.

Helicopters follow Viktor Leonov

The Royal Navy disclosed on November 2 that British forces tracked the Russian intelligence ship Viktor Leonov near Scotland’s Outer Hebrides. According to the navy, the ship was monitoring the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Strike Warrior exercise. Merlin helicopters followed it between September 29 and October 8.[1], [2]

The exercise involved 2,000 personnel from six nations. The account of the Russian ship’s surveillance activity is the British navy’s assessment. The operational dates precede the new disclosure of the tracking missions.[1]

Warships escort cargo through the Channel

The navy also said HMS Dauntless and HMS Tyne tracked the Russian frigate Neustrashimy in the English Channel in October. In the British account, the frigate was escorting sanctioned cargo ships. HMS Tyne later monitored the Russian landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin between October 11 and 14 as it accompanied a cargo vessel and a tugboat.[1]

Sanctioned vessels remain under scrutiny

Britain described three operations over just more than two weeks. The navy said Russia had used warships to protect such shipments over the preceding three months. Britain has sanctioned more than 500 Russian vessels and seized the oil tanker Smyrtos in June. The shadow fleet refers to ships used to transport cargo while evading sanctions.[1]

References

  1. News sourceThe Kyiv IndependentRoyal Navy discloses operations tracking Russian vessels↩1↩2↩3↩4
  2. News sourceThe IndependentRoyal Navy tracks Russian intelligence ship near NATO exercise↩
Chip wars and the supply chainRussia-Ukraine warMiddle East balance of powerEnergy transition and climate

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