Through an official statement from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, it was confirmed that Type 23 frigates of the Royal Navy monitored and tracked the activity of a group of Russian Navy ships during their passage through the English Channel. The news, released today, January 22, comes amid rising tensions between NATO and the Russian Federation, marking the second instance in less than a month that British naval forces have conducted such operations, as evidenced by the deployment reported at the end of December.

According to reports from the British Ministry of Defence, over the course of a few days, the Type 23 frigates HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne were deployed to monitor and track Russian military ships in the English Channel.
Days ago, the presence of a Russian naval group, consisting of the corvette RFS Boiky and the Kilo II-class submarine Novorossiysk, was detected as it traveled north through the English Channel. To monitor this, HMS Tyne deployed one of its embarked Merlin helicopters from the 814th Naval Air Squadron “Swordfish” to begin surveillance of the Russian submarine navigating under innocent passage. During these operations, the British frigate was supported by the replenishment tanker RFA Tidesurge.
Regarding this activity, Flight Commander Lieutenant Commander Mike Curd stated: “Tracking Russian units passing close to the United Kingdom is a routine task, and having the anti-submarine warfare specialists of the Royal Navy’s Merlin Helicopter Force on board adds an additional layer of security and capability to track the submarine should it submerge.” Adding that: “The 814th Naval Air Squadron regularly embarks its aircraft on Type 23 frigates, as well as on RFA units such as Tidesurge, for both training and routine surveillance operations around the British Isles.”

Following the events involving HMS Tyne, HMS Somerset was deployed to monitor the Russian Navy research vessel Yantar, which also navigated through the waters of the English Channel.
The presence of the vessel, which belongs to the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), is being closely monitored by NATO air and naval assets. During its navigation in the Mediterranean, a French Navy ATL2 maritime patrol aircraft was deployed to monitor the activity of the vessel. Although no specific details were provided regarding the ship’s presence in Mediterranean waters, Yantar had docked in Algiers in late December and previously traveled to the area where the MV Ursa Mayor sank on December 23.

Returning to the Atlantic, presumably en route to its home port with the Northern Fleet, the Russian vessel continues to be closely monitored by NATO forces, with HMS Somerset assuming responsibility for its passage through the English Channel.
This marks the second time that a Type 23 frigate has been deployed to monitor Russian ships. As occurred in late December, the ship and its crew had to be quickly readied to depart from their base at Devonport Naval Base. It was later confirmed that they monitored the navigation of “…the corvette RFS Soobrazitelny and its two support ships, MV Sparta II and MV General Skobelev,” which were operating in the North Sea.
“This is a routine task for the crew of HMS Somerset and the Royal Navy, but it remains a vital job for the security of the United Kingdom, and I am proud of my crew’s professionalism,” said Commander Matthew Teare, commander of the Type 23 frigate.
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