Amid growing Russian naval activity in waters near Western Europe, Royal Navy patrol vessels intercepted and monitored the transit of the Russian corvette Boikiy as it passed through the English Channel, one of the continent’s busiest and most sensitive maritime routes. The operation was conducted as part of the routine procedures for controlling and tracking foreign military vessels sailing in international waters close to the United Kingdom.
According to official information released by the Royal Navy, the patrol vessels HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, together with a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, were deployed to monitor the Russian corvette during its passage through the Channel, ensuring that its navigation complied with international maritime law. The tanker MT General Skobelev was also present. The presence of the British units enabled continuous surveillance of the Russian vessel’s activities throughout its transit of the area.
At this point, it is worth recalling that Boikiy, a Steregushchiy-class corvette of the Russian Navy, is part of the surface combatants that Moscow regularly employs on deployments into the Atlantic and other areas of strategic interest. This type of unit possesses relevant capabilities for conducting escort missions, patrols, and naval presence operations in distant seas.
Extended European monitoring
The passage through the English Channel would not have been the only segment monitored by European countries. According to recent reports, after leaving the area the Russian corvette was subsequently tracked by a patrol vessel of the Royal Netherlands Navy during its transit through the North Sea, confirming the coordination maintained by European naval forces in monitoring such units.
This situation also comes two weeks after HMS Mersey and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 NAS intercepted the Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Severomorsk and the merchant vessels Sparta IV and MYS Zhelaniya in the North Sea.
A recurring pattern in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean
Finally, the incident in the English Channel forms part of a broader sequence of recent monitoring operations. Days earlier, Spanish and British vessels had already escorted the same corvette Boikiy during its transit through the Strait of Gibraltar, another key chokepoint for naval traffic between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. These movements reinforce the perception that the Russian unit is conducting a prolonged deployment, passing through multiple strategic points across Europe.
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