A UK patrol ship intercepted a Russian corvette and tanker in the English Channel this month, as Russian naval activity near British waters has surged 30% over the past two years, multiple media outlets reported Sunday, citing the UK Ministry of Defence.
HMS Severn shadowed the corvette Stoikiy and the tanker Yelnya through the Channel before handing monitoring duties to an unnamed NATO ally off the coast of Brittany.
The Severn continued observing from a distance, remaining ready to respond to any unexpected moves.
The interceptions come amid heightened Russian activity, including the spy ship Yantar, which last week entered British waters for the second time this year and reportedly aimed lasers at RAF pilots after the UK dispatched a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 surveillance aircraft to track it.
Defence Secretary John Healey called the incident “reckless and dangerous” and warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin: “We see you. We know what you’re doing. We are ready.”
The Russian Embassy in London dismissed Healey’s comments, accusing Britain of “whipping up militaristic hysteria.”
Healey said the ship is “designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables,” with capabilities that allow it to “put and hold our undersea infrastructure and those of our allies at risk,” meaning the vessel can conduct surveillance in peacetime and potentially sabotage in conflict.
Asked why the lasers posed such a threat, Healey said: “Anything that impedes, disrupts or puts at risk pilots in charge of British military planes is deeply dangerous.”
He added that the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement had been revised to allow the vessel to be shadowed more closely, and that “military options” were prepared should the Yantar change course.
To counter growing threats, the UK has also deployed three Poseidon surveillance aircraft to Iceland as part of a NATO mission patrolling for Russian ships and submarines in the North Atlantic and Arctic.
HMS Severn, a River-class offshore patrol vessel built in 2002, is tasked with escorting foreign warships, inspecting fishing vessels, and defending the UK borders alongside sister ships HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey.