The Royal Navy carried out a five-day operation to monitor Russian naval activity in and around UK waters, deploying multiple warships and aircraft for the second time this month.
HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer based in Portsmouth, tracked the Russian intelligence gathering ship Yuri Ivanov as it stayed near the Outer Hebrides. This followed the recent NATO exercise Formidable Shield, which took place nearby.
The destroyer maintained surveillance on the Russian vessel and deployed its Merlin helicopter to collect intelligence from the air. Eventually, Yuri Ivanov moved north towards the Arctic, ending its presence near the UK.
At the same time, HMS Ledbury and HMS Hurworth, supported by 814 Naval Air Squadron, were sent to follow the Russian Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoikiy. The warship sailed west through the English Channel to meet two Russian merchant ships, Sparta IV and General Skobelev, which were returning from the Mediterranean Sea.
After the rendezvous, Stoikiy escorted the
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