Royal Navy escorts Russian warships through the English Channel

The RFS Admiral Kulakov destroyer is heading back towards Russia from the Mediterranean with more warships from the navy's Northern Fleet.

The operation involved three Navy ships and two helicopters keeping a close watch on four Russian vessels as they made their way up the Channel and into the North Sea.

Plymouth-based frigate HMS Sutherland led the Royal Navy effort to monitor the force - RFS Marshall Ustinov, a Slava-class missile cruiser, RFS Admiral Kulakov a Udaloy-class destroyer and their support vessels Sliva, an ocean-going tug and tanker Vyazma - as the group sailed up from the Bay of Biscay having completed a deployment to the eastern Mediterranean.

Named after a decorated Soviet naval officer, the Admiral Kulakov is an anti-submarine specialist.

Together with the Marshal Ustinov and their support ships, it passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on January 26, according to the Russian defence ministry.

They are expected to arrive at the port of Severomorsk in Russia's Murmansk Oblast in the first half of February.

As well as Sutherland and her Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron at Culdrose in Cornwall, patrol vessel HMS Mersey, tanker RFA Tideforce, and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron at Yeovilton ensured the Russian force was continuously observed as it sailed through UK waters.

‘As the UK's high-readiness frigate we conduct security patrols in and around our territorial waters and national infrastructure,’ said Commander Tom Weaver, Commanding Officer of HMS Sutherland which is currently the Navy's on-call vessel to respond to incidents in home waters.

‘Working with our French and Norwegian allies, these units were monitored on their transit north from the Mediterranean and our interaction with them was wholly professional.’

Lieutenant Commander George Blakeman, Sutherland's weapon engineer officer, added: ‘HMS Sutherland has a fantastic reputation for versatility - last year we justifiably won the coveted Above Water Warfare trophy, so we're well trained and more than capable of carrying out this duty.

‘Our ship's company remain determined to uphold the integrity of our sea lanes and will maintain a vigilant watch. It's vitally important the Royal Navy continues to demonstrate its presence and commitment to the integrity of our territorial waters and this tasking is a clear example of that.’

The Admiral Kulakov and Marshal Ustinov are no strangers to British waters, having been shadowed by Royal Navy warships on previous occasions.

In August 2019 HMS Medway followed the progress of the Marshal Ustinov as she sailed from the North Sea, past Dover and into the Channel.

The then-brand-new Royal Navy patrol ship was dispatched from Portsmouth and spent 36 hours monitoring the Russian vessel before handing over to French naval forces.

In November 2017 Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset shadowed the Admiral Kulakov through the Moray Firth in Scotland.

Somerset, a Plymouth-based Type 23 frigate, detected and monitored the movements of the Admiral Kulakov and her supporting tanker and escorted them through UK waters and along the coast of Norway.

In March 2016 the Admiral Kulakov passed through the English Channel and up the east coast of the UK as it returned from a deployment to Syria.

HMS Somerset, along with her Merlin helicopter, was used to detect and monitor the movement of the Russian warship and escorted it through UK waters.

The Admiral Kulakov also visited British waters in 2013 under different circumstances, taking part in a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic.