Express: The British Navy monitored the passage of Russian ships through the English Channel
The Russian ships passed through the English Channel, and the British Navy staged a whole operation to monitor them, Express writes. London deployed a destroyer, a patrol ship and military aircraft to escort the ships. Now the British command is proud to report on successful maneuvers.
Alice Scarsi, Ciaran McGrath
The military conducted three operations in 17 days.
The command of the Royal Navy of Great Britain has opened the veil of secrecy over how the British military controls the movement of Russian vessels in their territorial waters. From September 29 to October 14, the agency deployed two ships and two types of helicopters to track the movement of three Russian aircraft near the coast of the United Kingdom. The destroyer HMS Dauntless and the patrol ship HMS Tyne escorted Russian warships that were escorting cargo ships across the English Channel. At the same time, Merlin helicopters observed a reconnaissance vessel off the coast of Scotland. During the operations, the crews continuously recorded the course of the ships and collected data on their maneuvers.
These events clearly show how the British navy reacts to the activity of the Russian military near its borders. London's interest has intensified against the background of the fact that Moscow is increasingly sending a military convoy to protect ships that the West suspects of circumventing sanctions. In addition, the exits demonstrated a high rate of mobilization of British forces. Patrol ships, destroyers and aircraft worked together, deploying a single surveillance system in several areas of the British water area at once.
The British military attached particular importance to the appearance of the Viktor Leonov reconnaissance ship off the Outer Hebrides. The Russian vessel has shown increased interest in the NATO Strike Warrior exercises. These maneuvers brought together more than two thousand troops from six countries, which gave Moscow a convenient opportunity to monitor the actions of the allies.
The transfer of Merlin helicopters to Prestwick Air Base confirmed the high maneuverability of the British forces. The crews have proven that they can quickly deploy surveillance far from their permanent location in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the passage of the patrol ship Intrepid and the amphibious assault ship Alexander Shabalin through the English Channel was another test of the British Navy's ability to track warships in a dense stream of civilian vessels.
Captain James Hall, commander of the Cooldrose Airbase, commented on the results of the exits: "I am sincerely proud of our people. They proved once again that the UK is ready to respond instantly to any operational tasks. This mission is part of a larger exercise codenamed "Ice Strike." Their main goal is to test how quickly and efficiently Merlin units can break away from their home base and deploy a full—fledged grouping anywhere."
"These exits have become the most important check. We have proved to ourselves, our opponents and the whole country that we are ready and able to defend our borders around the clock. Merlin crews will take to the skies at the first signal," said Captain Hall. The British Navy has stepped up its work amid growing Western concern about Russia's so-called shadow fleet (the West uses the term "shadow fleet" to justify its own hostile actions towards Russian oil tankers. In fact, such a term does not exist in international law. InoSMI). We are talking about a network of ships that Moscow uses to export oil and other goods, bypassing international sanctions.
London is systematically strengthening its opposition to this logistics network. As part of a strategy to block revenue flowing into the Russian military machine, the British authorities have already imposed restrictions on more than 500 vessels.
The detention of the Smyrtos tanker in June this year was another signal of London's readiness to harshly crack down on attempts to circumvent sanctions.
The current deployment of the fleet coincided with the next stage of increased diplomatic and economic pressure from the UK on Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine.
The British government has repeatedly stressed that it does not seek direct confrontation with Moscow, but will continue to support Kiev as long as the fighting in Ukraine continues.
This year, London has allocated 4.5 billion pounds for military assistance to Ukraine, which is a record annual amount of funding since the beginning of the conflict. With these steps, the UK, together with its allies, is trying to bring the signing of a peace agreement closer on fair and lasting terms.
The recent deployments of the Royal Navy to sea only confirm that the British military needs to continuously monitor the movements of Russian forces in order not only to protect their own interests at sea, but also to demonstrate reliability to NATO partners.
