The Royal Navy intercepted and shadowed two Russian ships as they sailed west through the Dover Strait into the English Channel, the UK Ministry of Defence has said.
HMS Severn moved to intercept the corvette Stoikiy and the tanker Yelnya in the past fortnight before handing monitoring duties to a NATO vessel off the coast of Brittany.
Severn remained nearby, observing from a safe distance and ready to react to any unexpected moves.
The encounter adds to a pattern of increased Russian naval activity around UK waters.
Defence Secretary John Healey has warned that such operations have risen sharply in recent years and are part of wider aggressive behaviour affecting Europe.
Earlier this month UK forces also tracked the Russian research vessel Yantar off Scotland.
UK officials say the ship used lasers that interfered with RAF aircraft involved in monitoring operations, prompting strong criticism from ministers and a tightening of rules for how the Royal Navy follows such vessels.
HMS Severn is a River-class offshore patrol vessel, built in 2002.
Alongside sister ships, it is routinely used to escort foreign warships, carry out inspections and protect the UK’s maritime approaches.
Stoikiy is no stranger to UK waters.
In May the Royal Navy deployed two ships and the 814 Naval Air Squadron to shadow the corvette as it moved through the Channel to rendezvous with other Russian vessels before heading back towards the Baltic Sea under surveillance by HMS Hurworth.
The MoD said these patrols, and cooperation with NATO partners, are intended to maintain situational awareness and deter any dangerous activity at sea.
London says it will continue close monitoring of foreign warships operating near UK and allied waters.
The incidents underline growing tensions at sea and the Royal Navy’s stepped-up presence as part of broader measures to safeguard UK maritime security.
