A Russian naval ship conducted a live-fire weapons exercise in international waters off southern England, Britain's defence ministry announced. The ship, around 40 miles south of Plymouth, informed a British naval patrol vessel, HMS Tyne, of its intention to fire and requested it to move to a safer position. The exercise lasted for 30 minutes and was monitored by the British Navy, which continues to track the vessel closely.
Incident Details and Reactions
The Russian frigate, identified by British media as the Neustrashimy, carried out the exercise on the first day of Britain's new prime minister, Andy Burnham. UK defence minister Wes Streeting condemned the incident as "performative and irresponsible" and reaffirmed the UK's resolve against Russian aggression.
Background and Context
This incident follows a previous event in June where a Russian warship fired warning shots at a yacht in the English Channel. Russia claimed the yacht was on a dangerous course, while Britain's defence ministry downplayed the incident as an isolated event to prevent a possible collision. Russian warships are reportedly escorting tankers through the Channel associated with Russia's "shadow fleet" of sanctions-breaking ships. Last month, British armed forces intercepted a sanctioned Russian tanker in the first such UK-led operation.
