Royal Navy Tracks Russian Vessels Transiting Through UK Waters

The Royal Navy has completed a three-day operation monitoring a Russian task group transiting through UK waters, closely tracking the Russian corvette Boikiy as it escorted the merchant vessel Baltic Leader from Syria to Russia.

HMS Somerset, a Type 23 frigate, was assigned to shadow the Russian warship, ensuring it was under continuous observation as it passed through the North Sea and the English Channel.

The British frigate used advanced radar and sensor systems to keep track of the movement. A Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron was launched to gather intelligence from the air.

During the escort operation, Russian crew members aboard Boikiy were seen burning papers and manning machine guns, according to reports.

The merchant vessel Baltic Leader, which the corvette was escorting, had previously been docked at Russia’s naval base in Tartus, Syria, before heading back towards Russian waters.

The Baltic Leader was under escort by Boikiy, and is sanctioned by both the UK and the US. The UK government accused the ship’s owner, Russian shipping company MG-Flot LLC, of assisting Russia’s destabilisation efforts in Ukraine.

In 2022, the US also sanctioned the vessel, citing its connections to Promsvyazbank, a Russian financial institution targeted by Western nations following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Satellite analysis conducted by BBC Verify confirmed that the Baltic Leader had been docked in Tartus, Syria, on February 1. The vessel’s publicly available tracking system was switched off that time, which made it impossible to determine the exact nature of its cargo.

The Royal Navy worked closely with UK patrol aircraft and allied NATO forces to maintain a constant watch on the Russian task group.

The commanding officer of the ship said that Somerset has conducted multiple escort missions involving Russian warships and that the crew maintained vigilance while operating in UK waters.

The monitoring operation began on March 1, when HMS Somerset began tracking Boikiy as it transited through the North Sea and English Channel to meet with the Baltic Leader.

Once the merchant vessel was under Boikiy’s escort, the British frigate remained on duty for the return journey, ensuring it was tracked as it moved through the traffic separation scheme near Ushant, France, and back into the North Sea.

In January 2024, the Royal Navy had monitored the Russian vessel Yantar, suspected of being a spy ship. The UK’s Defence Secretary had accused Russia of increased aggression, stating that Yantar was likely gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s underwater infrastructure.

The Russian embassy in London dismissed these claims as “baseless.”

Reference: Royal Navy

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