Royal Navy tracks Russian frigate off UK coast for a month

The Royal Navy says it monitored a Russian frigate continuously for a month as it moved through UK waters and the North Sea.

The vessel, Admiral Grigorovich, was tracked while sailing west of the UK and around the North Sea in April.

According to the account provided, HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn followed the ship, alongside patrol aircraft, tankers and Wildcat helicopters.

The frigate also sailed close to the Galloper wind farm off the Suffolk coast.

The ship is said to have stopped to take on fuel and supplies near key national infrastructure about 30km off the coast.

The Royal Navy said there was not one day last month when the warship, its supporting vessels or the ships it was escorting were not closely watched by air or sea power.

The monitoring matters because the frigate was described as escorting Russian-flagged vessels between the North Sea and Western Approaches.

The account says it accompanied one submarine and around six merchant and support vessels during the month.

The incident also comes against a backdrop of repeated Royal Navy monitoring of Russian vessels near UK waters.

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