"Message sent to Putin" as "highly-trained" Royal Navy scrambled to stalk Russian warship and tanker
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Perceptive Royal Navy sailors and aviators have been deployed on several occasions to stalk Russian ships in British waters.
Portsmouth-based patrols ships HMS Mersey and Severn were dispatched to intercept the Russian warship Boikiy, as she was escorting the oil tanker MT General Skobelev. British forces undertook the two-day operation as the Moscow ships sailed towards the North Sea.
Forces from Portsmouth have spent much of the new year on similar operations, amid a call to clamp down on the Russian shadow fleet and intercept any sanctioned hardware. Armed forces minister Al Carns said this was a clear signal to Vladimir Putin. “With this operation, our sailors have once again sent a message to Putin – we know exactly what his navy is doing,” he added.
“Every time a Russian ship comes near the UK, the Navy is ready to track, deter, and defend. I want to pay tribute to the professionalism of our personnel who work 24/7, 365 days a year to keep our nation safe.”
What did the Royal Navy do and why were Russian ships in the English Channel?
A Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron joined the patrol ships in the operation. HMS Mersey first intercepted the ships as they entered the English Channel. They took over shadowing duties rom NATO allies after they monitored them through the Bay of Biscay..
Both ships combined with the aviators near the Isle of Wight, utilising powerful sensors to gather valuable information and report on their movements. HMS Severn continued to keep a watchful eye on the Russians as they headed to the North Sea. Responsibility was then handed to a Nato ally. Putin’s ships were returning from a deployment in the Mediterranean and were closely watched throughout their voyage.
Commanding Officer of HMS Mersey, Lieutenant Commander Dan Wardle, said: “In what has been a busy start to the year, this operation provided another opportunity for my Ship’s Company to demonstrate their continued readiness and ability to safeguard the United Kingdom’s maritime interests. Operating in close coordination with our sister vessel HMS Severn and alongside other NATO allies has enabled the sharing of experience and best practice, further highlighting the strength and unique nature of the relationships between our nations.”
Lieutenant Commander Ross Gallagher, Senior Observer and Executive Officer of 815 NAS, added: “This activation once again demonstrated the extremely high readiness and professionalism that defines 815 Naval Air Squadron. I am immensely proud of our engineers who keep our aircraft at peak performance, and our aircrew who deliver precise surveillance, rapid reporting, and tactical clarity at pace.
“As Russian vessels transited the Channel, we kept the operational picture clear and seamlessly integrated with our colleagues in HMS Mersey and HMS Severn. 815 Naval Air Squadron is built for this level of responsiveness – highly trained, tightly coordinated, and always prepared to deliver the aviation capability that protects and safeguards the nation’s interests all whilst supporting our NATO partners.”
In a separate operation in the Mediterranean, patrol boat HMS Dagger monitored the movements of the tanker Grinch which was boarded by French forces. The Royal Navy Gibraltar Squadron vessel tracked the tanker – one of 544 vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet which are subject to UK and European sanctions for their role in facilitating trade in sanctioned oil – through the Strait and also took photographs of the Grinch. Suspected shadow fleet vessels are routinely tracked and monitored in UK waters and the vicinity around them. Information is then shared with British allies.
Defence secretary John Healey said: “Deterring, disrupting and degrading the Russian shadow fleet is a priority for this government. I can confirm that the UK has provided tracking and monitoring in support of the French operation to board the tanker Grinch.
“This support included HMS Dagger monitoring the vessel through the Strait of Gibraltar. Alongside our allies, we are stepping up our response to shadow vessels – to choke off the funds that fuel Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The Royal Navy’s activations come just two weeks after HMS Mersey and a Wildcat from 815 NAS intercepted Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk and the merchant vessels, Sparta IV and MYS Zhelaniya, in the North Sea. The ships were monitored as they sailed through the Strait of Dover and the English Channel, before handing over monitoring duties to a NATO ally near the island of Ushant off the coast of France as the Russians continued a southbound voyage.