Royal Navy Tracks Russian Intelligence Vessel, Cargo Ships, and Warships
The UK’s Royal Navy continues to report on a series of efforts tracking the persistent and increasing level of Russian vessels in the areas around the UK. Earlier this year, officers from the Royal Navy reported a dramatic increase in Russian activity, and it appears to be continuing.
Warships and helicopters of the Royal Navy conducted three focused operations across 17 days to monitor Russian activity in UK waters. They emphasized the persistence of the efforts while saying it had also served as good training for helicopter operations.
The patrol ship HMS Tyne and the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless, along with the Wildcat and Merlin helicopters, were dispatched to report on Russian movements during the final days of September and the opening two weeks of October. According to the Royal Navy, Dauntless and Tyne were tasked from October 1 to 14 to report on the movements of RFN Neustrashimy, as the Russian frigate escorted sanctioned cargo ships through the English Channel.
HMS Type dispatched to track Russian shipping
Meanwhile, Merlin helicopters were also deployed at short notice from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall to Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland to conduct Operation Iceblast. From September 29 until October 8, the Merlins were used to keep track of the Vishnya-class intelligence-gathering ship Viktor Leonov in the Outer Hebrides.
The Russian ship was monitoring NATO warships taking part in allied training, Exercise Strike Warrior, off the coast of Scotland. The exercise involved more than 2,000 personnel from six nations.
“This tasking was part of a wider series of operations, known collectively as Operation Iceblast, which was designed to test the ability of the Merlin Helicopter Force to deploy away from its home base of RNAS Culdrose in force and at short notice,” explained Captain James Hall, the commanding officer of RNAS Culdrose.
Intelligence-gathering ship Viktor Leonov
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After handing over responsibility for tracking RFN Neustrashimy to HMS Dauntless, HMS Tyne was tasked to intercept RFN Aleksandr Shabalin between October 11 and 14. The Ropucha-class landing ship was escorting cargo ship MV Energy-2, accompanied by tugboat Proton. The Royal Navy reports Tyne was activated from North Shields to watch every move as the Russians sailed through the English Channel en route to the Baltic Region. It was accompanied by a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron.
The efforts were part of the routine tracking the Royal Navy maintains. In August, commanders reported that the Royal Navy has seen an overall increase in Russian activity around the UK of 25 percent during the first seven months of the year.
