Russian Warship Monitored Near British Waters
he Royal Navy has shared images of a Russian warship it tracked as it sailed close to British waters.
The Royal Navy has monitored the Russian corvette Boikiy for three days as it traveled through the English Channel and North Sea, escorting a merchant vessel on its return journey from Syria to Russia. The operation was supported by NATO forces and patrol aircraft, according to navy officials.
Boikiy is one of several Russian naval vessels recently observed near the British coastline. The Royal Navy began tracking the ship on Saturday as it moved south through the North Sea and the English Channel to meet the merchant vessel, Baltic Leader, before accompanying it back to Russia. HMS Somerset, a British Type 23 frigate, used its radar systems to monitor the movements, while a Merlin helicopter provided additional reconnaissance from the air.
Reports indicate that the merchant ship was transporting military hardware from Russia’s naval base in Tartus, Syria. Crew members aboard the Russian warship were seen burning papers and manning machine guns, according to The Times.
Satellite analysis by BBC Verify confirmed that the Baltic Leader had been docked in Tartus on February 1. At the time, its public tracking system was turned off, as reported by MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking website. Although the cargo on board was not visible, satellite images showed containers and other equipment on the dock.
The Baltic Leader is owned by MG-Flot LLC, a Russian shipping company sanctioned by the UK government for allegedly aiding Russia’s destabilization of Ukraine. In 2022, the vessel was also sanctioned by the US due to its links with Promsvyazbank, a Russian financial institution targeted by Western nations following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Commander Joel Roberts, Somerset’s commanding officer, emphasized the Royal Navy’s experience in such operations, stating: “Somerset has frequently escorted Russian ships, and the crew has demonstrated great professionalism in maintaining vigilance within UK waters while coordinating with our NATO allies.”
This marks the second time in 2024 that HMS Somerset has been deployed to monitor Russian naval movements near British waters. Just two weeks earlier, the Royal Navy tracked five vessels, including three merchant ships, en route from Syria to a Russian Baltic port.
Additionally, in January, Defence Secretary John Healey informed MPs that the Royal Navy had monitored a Russian intelligence-gathering ship, Yantar, near UK waters. He accused the vessel of mapping the UK’s underwater infrastructure, labeling the event as further evidence of “growing Russian aggression.” The Russian embassy in London dismissed the claims as “absolutely baseless.”
Western nations have frequently monitored Yantar in European waters, suspecting that one of its primary tasks is to identify undersea cables. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, concerns over such activities have intensified.
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