"Russian intelligence gathering vessel" shadows Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, report says

Navy Lookout reported last Thursday (May 8) that one of Vladimir Putin’s ships were spotted near HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG). British and allied forces are carrying out Operation Highmast and are bound to the Indo-Pacific region as part of an eight-month deployment.

The defence publication said: “The Russian AGI Viktor Leonov briefly shadowed the Royal Navy-led Carrier Strike group soon after they entered the Mediterranean in early May. The Leonov had refuelled in Algeria before meeting the CSG in the western Mediterranean.”

Navy Lookout said intelligence gathering attempts by opposition navies are commonplace, and it would be more surprising if such interactions did not take place. Viktor Leonov is a Vishnya class vessel equipped with Various intercept arrays and radio direction finding equipment, as well as Gatling guns and surface-to-air missiles.

The Russian frigate RFS Admiral Grigorovich, corvette RFS Soobrazitelny, and two other tankers, are expected to maintain a presence in the Mediterranean, Navy Lookout said. Portsmouth-based patrol vessel HMS Tyne tracked one of Moscow’s submarines as it sailed through the English Channel last week.

Exercise Mediterranean Strike

HMS Prince of Wales and the UKCSG carried out a week-long operation in the Mediterranean last week. Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the UKCSG, previously said it was a “major moment” on the global deployment and will test Brtish skills alongside Nato allies. “Working at the heart of a powerful NATO force sends a strong message and shows clearly the phenomenal capabilities that not only the UK possesses but the alliance as a whole,” he said.

The exercise was carried out in the waters of the Ionian Sea between Taranto and Sicily, consisting of two carrier strike groups, 21 warships, three submarines, 41 fast jets, 19 helicopters, ten patrol aircraft and more than 8,000 personnel. The Italian Carrier Strike Group joined the British and allied forces for the military drills.

Senior commanders from the RAF, Royal Navy and Joint HQ witnessed the combined training drills, which tested various air defence and anti-submarine capabilities, as well as damage control scenarios. Type 23 frigate HMS Richmond carried out live gunnery exercises, with other ships completing replenishment at sea drills and other operations.