Royal Navy Frigate Shadows Russian Spy Ship

Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset has been busy shadowing a Russian spy ship this week as it sailed through the English Channel.

The Yantar’s transit of the English Channel marks the first time the Russian vessel has returned to British waters since it was spotted loitering over critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) in November 2024.

As per a recent U.K. Ministry of Defence statement, on that occasion a Royal Navy submarine had surfaced close to the vessel to prove its activities were being closely monitored; the Russian ship subsequently set sail for the Mediterranean.

This week the Russian ship’s movements were closely monitored by HMS Somerset, a Type 23 frigate equipped for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions and armed with a range of weapons including the Naval Strike Missile. Her crew is well-used to such escort missions: in previous years she has tracked a series of Russian vessels in or near U.K. waters, including the Russian destroyer Vice-Admiral Kulakov and the Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar.

Defence Secretary John Healey described CUI protection as “vital to the country’s economy” and commented: “My message to President Putin is clear. We know what you are doing, and we will not shy away from robust action to protect Britain.”

He added: “Alongside our Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and NATO allies, we are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near U.K. or NATO territory.”

The MoD has also revealed it will be providing P-8 Poseidon and RC 135-W Rivet Joint maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft to Baltic Sentry, the new NATO initiative to boost CUI protection in the Baltic Sea announced in the wake of damage to the Estlink2 undersea cable between Estonia and Finland. 

The U.K.-led JEF has also activated Nordic Warden – an AI-enabled system to help monitor potential CUI threats.

• You can read more details on the U.K. MoD website