Three Royal Navy warships have been shadowing a Russian Navy task force in waters close to the UK. Type 23 frigates HMS Westminster, HMS Lancaster and HMS Richmond tracked Slava-class cruiser, Marshal Ustinov, the sister ship of the ill-fated Moskva which sunk in the Black Sea in April.
They have also been keeping a watch on Udaloy-class destroyer, Vice-Admiral Kulakov and tanker Vyazma as the three ships headed home from the eastern Mediterranean after supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since February. At the same time, patrol ship HMS Mersey has also shadowed Russian military research vessel Akademik Ioffe on its journey south through the Dover shipping lanes into the Channel.
A Royal Navy spokesman said: “The frigates and their helicopters used an array of cutting-edge sensors and modern naval technology to keep close watch in the Celtic Sea and through the English Channel.”
