The British Navy reported military escort of Russian vessels in the English Channel

Ships of the Navy of the Russian Federation escorted merchant vessels traveling through the English Channel, the press service of the Naval Forces (Navy) of Great Britain said.

They were informed that the Royal Navy has completed a three-day operation to track Russian Navy ships and cargo ships entering the territorial waters of the United Kingdom.

It follows from the published data that the Russian dry cargo ships General Skobelev and Sparta passed through the North Sea and the English Channel accompanied by the anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko, which was later joined by the frigate Intrepid.

On the British side, a squadron consisting of the destroyer HMS Duncan, the frigate HMS St Albans, the patrol ship HMS Severn and the patrol ship HMS Mersey participated in the monitoring. Air support was provided by a Merlin helicopter.

Recall that in mid-June, by order of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Smyrtos tanker was intercepted in the English Channel. He is associated with the "Russian shadow fleet." The British authorities appropriated almost 100 thousand tons of oil from the tanker.

As EADaily reported, since then all sanctioned vessels have been bypassing the strait and bypassing the UK from the north. However, the tankers under the Russian flag continued to cross the English Channel, despite the threat of capture. The British Navy stated that the patrol ship Admiral Grigorovich was actively operating in the strait.