Tensions spiked in the English Channel after a Royal Navy warship dramatically intercepted a Russian corvette and its tanker, fuelling frantic online fears of World War 3 amid a surge in Moscow’s provocative naval manoeuvres near British shores. The Ministry of Defence said Sunday that HMS Severn shadowed and intercepted the Russian corvette RFS Stoikiy and tanker Yelnya as they travelled through the waterway.
The River-class offshore patrol vessel, built in 2002 and designed for border defence and foreign warship escort, maintained continuous overwatch through the Dover Strait, a busy shipping lane just miles from Dover’s cliffs. Russian naval activity around UK waters has increased by 30% in the past two years. After escorting the vessels through British-monitored areas, HMS Severn handed over responsibility to an unnamed NATO ally off the coast of Brittany.
The incident follows a separate event last week in which the Russian spy ship Yantar directed lasers at RAF pilots monitoring it off the Scottish coast. The UK government described the action as reckless and dangerous.
Defence Secretary John Healey told MPs on Wednesday: “My message to Russia and to Putin is clear: We see you.
“We know exactly what you’re doing.”
The Russian Embassy in London rejected the criticism, accusing the British Government of “whipping up militaristic hysteria” and stating that Russia has no intention of threatening UK security.
The warnings come as the government prepares its budget.
Mr Healey is pushing for a significant increase in defence spending in response to threats from Russia, China and Iran.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, but the Government faces difficult choices due to a large budget deficit, with tax rises and spending cuts expected elsewhere.
Separately, three RAF P-8 Poseidon aircraft have been deployed to Iceland as part of a NATO mission to monitor Russian ships and submarines in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.