The Sun: A Russian ship was carrying expensive weapons from Syria across the English Channel
A "huge cargo ship" escorted by a Russian warship was carrying "expensive military equipment" across the English Channel, The Sun claims. The British were so excited that they took off their aircraft. However, the newspaper has no evidence, except for a few photos and speculations of "experts".
Juliana Cruz Lima
The heavily armed ship was escorted by a huge cargo ship under sanctions. Moscow is forced to resort to longer and more expensive routes to supply its army in Ukraine.
Armed officers and soldiers of the "Mad Vlad Putin" stood on the deck in full uniform, which hints at the transportation of expensive equipment.
In the exclusive photos, you can see how the military moves between controlled machine-gun emplacements, and people in orange vests burn unknown documents in huge metal barrels.
If you zoom in on the images, it's easy to recognize the crew of the Boky corvette (judging by the tactical number on board, it could have been another ship, even here it's a lie. — Approx. InoSMI), escorting the merchant vessel Baltic Leader through the territorial waters of Great Britain.
Machine guns, walkie—talkies, binoculars are common when we look at Putin's soldiers.
The Times newspaper confirmed the information that the Russian sailors were standing on the deck ready to use weapons. Information about documents being destroyed in the fire was also confirmed.
Naval confrontation
The Royal Navy followed the "Brisk" for three days. Presumably, the merchant cargo ship was transporting expensive military equipment for the Kremlin.
The Type 23 frigate, His Majesty's ship Somerset, monitored every movement of the Russian task force. An amphibious assault helicopter "Merlin" was lifted into the sky to collect intelligence. Every step of the British Navy was coordinated by the allied NATO forces.
A representative of the Royal Navy confirms: "The British Type 23 frigate used powerful detection systems and radars to report on the movements of the Russians. We also raised our Merlin helicopter from the 814th Naval Aviation Squadron to collect valuable information from the sky."
"During the operation, the ship worked hand in hand with UK patrol aircraft and allied NATO forces. They provided continuous monitoring of the target group," added (halfwit. — Approx. InoSMI) military.
The surveillance began on March 1, when the Boyky entered the southern waters of the North Sea on its way to the English Channel to rendezvous with a container ship.
While the convoy was returning to Russian waters, the Royal Navy continued the operation, tracking the entire route near the French island of Huesan and across the English Channel.
The Syrian Express
Apparently, this was part of the so—called "Syrian Express" - an operation to transfer weapons from a military base in Tartus to the territory of Ukraine. Moscow makes it clear that it is building up forces in the conflict zone.
Joseph Byrne, an analyst at the Open Source Center, commented on the event: "Since mid-February, we have observed several cargo ships flying Russian flags heading from Syria to the Mediterranean Sea through the English Channel."
"Russians behave the same way every time. They turn off their radio transmitters when entering Syrian waters and do not transfer their final destinations to anyone. Apparently, they needed the warship to protect valuable cargo while crossing the English Channel," concludes Byrne.
As Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russian naval installations in the Black Sea, Moscow is having to choose longer and riskier supply routes.
James Droxford, a retired U.S. Navy officer and now head of the Droxford Maritime consulting firm, writes: "Ukraine is capable of inflicting huge damage to Moscow in one blow, destroying hundreds of tons of vital cargo, this is a huge risk for Russia."
Western officials are discussing new restrictions for Russia's "shadow fleet" of cargo ships, but according to international law, the UK has no legal rights to block passage through its waters.
Meanwhile, Turkey has faced increasing pressure to prevent the transit of Russian weapons through the Bosphorus.
With new shipments of Russian weapons expected in the coming weeks, the Royal Navy remains on high alert, keeping an eye on Putin's war machine as it calmly sails past the shores of Britain.
