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Russian Warship Escorted Six Shadow Fleet Ships Near Britain, Royal Navy Says
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Russian Navy frigate Admiral Grigorovich spent much of April escorting Russian-linked merchant and support vessels near the United Kingdom while being continuously tracked by British naval and air assets.
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According to UK Defence Journal on May 6, citing the Royal Navy, the operation involved patrol ships HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, HMS Severn, support tanker RFA Tideforce, and Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron. Around 250 British sailors and aircrew took part in the month-long monitoring mission.
British naval forces tracked the Russian frigate as it moved between the North Sea and the Western Approaches, escorting vessels traveling between the Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean Sea. The frigate accompanied approximately six merchant and auxiliary ships, as well as one submarine, during the operation.
According to the publication, the Russian warship also stopped near critical British infrastructure, including the Galloper offshore wind farm off the Suffolk coast, to refuel and replenish supplies.
UK Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said the operation demonstrated Britain’s ability to monitor Russian naval activity near its coastline.
“As Russian warships continue to operate near UK shores, our armed forces are there every day—watching, tracking and ready,” Carns said, according to the UK Defence Journal. He added that the mission sent “a clear message: UK waters are protected, our sailors and aircrew are alert, and we will always defend our nation and its vital infrastructure.”
The UK Defence Journal noted that Portsmouth-based HMS Tyne spent more time shadowing Admiral Grigorovich than any other British vessel involved in the operation.
Lieutenant Commander Sam Fields, commanding officer of HMS Tyne, said his crew’s “professionalism underpins our continuous presence in the North Atlantic, supporting our allies and delivering operational effect.”
Commander Douglas Keenan, head of 815 Naval Air Squadron, stated that Wildcat helicopters conducted daily flights throughout April, including multiple sorties during the Easter weekend. According to the UK Defence Journal, Keenan said that “valuable intelligence collection has taken place alongside monitoring of Russian activity.”
The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich is a Project 11356R guided missile frigate assigned to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The vessel is armed with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, a Shtil-1 air defense system, anti-submarine torpedoes, and carries a Ka-27 helicopter. Russia built only three ships of this class for the Black Sea Fleet.
Earlier, Russia conducted a covert submarine operation in waters near the United Kingdom that posed a potential threat to critical energy pipelines and data cables.
British and allied forces tracked a Russian Akula-class attack submarine along with two specialized deep-sea submarines linked to Moscow’s GUGI program for more than a month in the North Sea before the vessels withdrew.
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