British Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland “located” and escorted two Russian corvettes, ‘Soobrazitelny’ and ‘Boiky’, while the vessels were passing through English Channel during a naval exercise.
The two Russian ships were “spotted” by the Royal Navy on Friday, and subsequently escorted while passing through the English Channel in international waters.
The corvettes (frigates in NATO classification), accompanied by a fuel tanker and an ocean-going tug, were performing naval exercises, according to Russian Navy officials.
While the voyage and its purpose were not kept secret by Russia, the British Ministry of Defence boasted of its “vigilance” in protecting the island nation, “using state-of-the-art radars to track the course and speed of the ships as they pass close to the UK.”
“HMS Sutherland is carefully marking these Russian ships as they pass close to UK waters. The Royal Navy maintains a vigilant watch and is always ready to keep Britain safe,” Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said in a statement.
