'We're watching': HMS Prince of Wales and Nato reacts to loitering Russian spy ship amid vigilance pressure
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The UK Carrier Strike Group is currently undertaking one of the key exercises on Operation Firecrest
Vigilant Royal Navy sailors had to respond to a Russian spy ship seen loitering near them during a key exercise.
HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG) had to react to the presence of Yuri Ivanov, a Moscow spy ship. This happened during Exercise Dynamic Mongoose, Nato’s premier submarine-hunting operation in Norway.
Russian activity in response to British forces has been increasing in recent months. Many of Vladimir Putin’s warships are escorting merchant vessels carrying sanctioned cargo such as fuel and weapons. Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson at NATO Allied Maritime Command, LCDR Tim Pietrack, said the alliance’s activities are pilling pressure on Moscow’s military efforts.
He added: “While we won’t comment on specific observations of Russian ships and movements, all interactions observed during Dynamic Mongoose were safe and professional. For additional context I would note that we see a trend of Russian navy ships escorting merchant vessels through the Baltic Sea and other areas around the Euro-Atlantic region, including the North and Mediterranean Seas.
“These escorting activities take up valuable days at sea for the Russian navy and it places strain on their ability to generate naval forces for other missions. There’s no area around the Euro-Atlantic region where the Russian navy operates that Allies are not closely monitoring their activities.”
Posted on the UKCSG social media account, a picture showed Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan close to the Ivanov-class intelligence ship. HMS Prince of Wales and another Nato ship can be seen in the background. A statement said: “Nato coordination into action, seen here tracking Russian vessel Yuri Ivanov during Ex Dynamic Mongoose.”
Nato Maritime Command issued a statement alongside this. They said: “We are watching. SNMG1 units monitor Russian vessel Yuri Ivanov near Dynamic Mongoose 2026 in the High North. Always ready. Always aware.”
Yury Ivanov is a type of Russian signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection ship. She’s equipped with light anti-aircraft weapons, and has a high level of automation. The ship weighs 4,000 tonnes and has a range of up to 13,000km.
An RAF jet carrying defence secretary John Healey had its GPS jammed while flying in Estonian airspace near the Russian border. Two Russian jets flew dangerously close to an RAF aircraft, coming within six metres of colliding in a “serious risk” to the pilots on board.
There has been a 30 per cent rise in Moscow vessels being sighted in UK waters in the past two years, forcing Royal Navy vessels to respond. A trio of Portsmouth-based ships, HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn, were involved in a “round the clock” operation to shadow the frigate RFN Admiral Grirgorovich and other Russian-flagged vessels for a month.