Russian Destroyer Shadowed By Royal Navy In UK Waters
The Royal Navy has shadowed a Russian warship through UK waters for the second weekend running.
Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset monitored the movements of Vice Admiral Kulakov as she sailed through the Moray Firth, off the coast of Scotland.
It is thought that the warship and her tanker were returning from a deployment in the Mediterranean.
HMS Somerset had been testing her sonar equipment when the call came in to locate and shadow the Russian vessels.
She escorted the ships through UK waters and then north along the coast of Norway, before returning back to her trials.
Commander Timothy Berry, HMS Somerset's Commanding Officer, said:
"As with all Royal Navy ships operating in UK waters, HMS Somerset was at a high state of alert to deal with any maritime security task such as this.
"Monitoring transits of non-NATO warships through UK territorial waters is part of what the Royal Navy does all year round to keep Britain safe."
"We now continue with our original tasking, having seen the Russian ships safely through the UK's area of interest."
It was not the Kulakov's first visit to UK waters, as the destroyer was also shadowed by HMS Somerset from the same position in the Moray Firth in March 2016.
It comes after the Royal Navy confirmed that a Type 23 frigate was deployed after two Russian warships entered a "UK area of interest" last weekend.
The same anti-submarine destroyer, Vice-Admiral Kulakov, was making its way through the Dover Strait in the English Channel.
In response, the Royal Navy deployed a ship, which has not been identified, to escort the vessel.
A second Russian ship was intercepted elsewhere off the British coast.
Join Our Newsletter
