The Royal Navy was called into action after a Russian warship was spotted moving through the English Channel for the second time this month.
According to a statement from the Royal Navy, the Russian frigate Admiral Golovko — which has been on deployment since last November — was seen "prowling" close to UK waters. In response, HMS St Albans was dispatched from Plymouth, along with a Merlin helicopter to gather aerial intelligence before NATO allies took over the escort duties as the Russian vessel continued its journey from the Mediterranean.
Commander Matt Teare, the commanding officer of HMS St Albans, said:
"HMS St Albans is at very high readiness to operate whenever, and wherever, the nation needs us in the protection of our home and the waters surrounding it. We have twice been activated in recent weeks for these operations, and I’m extremely proud of my crew’s professionalism and tireless dedication to keeping our nation safe."
This is actually the second time St Albans has been called out this month. A few weeks ago, it tracked the Russian corvette Stoikiy during a three-day operation. Meanwhile, the Royal Navy also confirmed that patrol ship HMS Mersey, based in Portsmouth, had been involved in monitoring another Russian ship — the corvette Soobrazitelny — as it sailed west through the Channel. A Russian tanker, Kola, was also tracked around the same time with coordination from the Joint Maritime Security Centre.
Commander Teare added:
"We were proud to work alongside HMS Mersey, and I’d like to thank RFA Tidesurge for providing vital logistical support. HMS St Albans is currently part of a NATO Task Group, and the frequent Russian naval activity near the UK just highlights how important it is for us to stay closely integrated with our allies and partners."
This latest encounter came just as Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited HMS Prince of Wales, Britain’s biggest and most powerful aircraft carrier, before its deployment to the Indo-Pacific. Russia’s Tass news agency reported that Admiral Golovko had recently wrapped up missions in the Mediterranean and was transiting the Channel.
According to Russia’s Northern Fleet,
"The frigate completed the missions of its first long sortie to the Mediterranean Sea several days ago,"
noting that it had operated as part of a Russian Navy task force and conducted joint exercises with Egypt during its time there.
With the collapse of Syria's Assad regime — an ally of Russia — Putin also lost Russia’s naval base in Tartus, which complicates their Mediterranean operations. To move between St. Petersburg and the Mediterranean now, Russian ships often travel through the English Channel and into the North Sea, according to tracking data from MarineTraffic. Photo by Mil.ru, Wikimedia commons.