![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_275462934-a959.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe deck of the HMS Severn looks out toward the Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy off the UK coast. (Picture: United Kingdom Ministry of Defence via AP)<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tThe deck of the HMS Severn looks out toward the Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy off the UK coast. (Picture: United Kingdom Ministry of Defence via AP)<\/p>\n
A Russian warship and a tanker were spotted sailing through the English Channel.<\/p>\n
The HMS Severn intercepted the RFN Stoikiy, a corvette and Yelnya, a tanker, as they all sailed west through the Dover Strait into the English Channel over the past two weeks.<\/p>\n
There was no incident reported with the HMS Severn later handing over monitoring duties to a\u00a0NATO<\/a>\u00a0ally off the coast of Brittany, but continued to observe from a distance, the Ministry of Defence said.<\/p>\n Last week John Healey<\/a> revealed that Russia\u2019s Yantar, which is used to map undersea cables, appeared \u2018on the edge of UK waters\u2019 for the second time this year.<\/p>\n After a Royal Navy frigate and RAF<\/a> P8 planes were sent to keep track of the ship, Russian crew members took the \u2018deeply dangerous\u2019 move of pointing lasers at the pilots, he said.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tSign up for all of the latest stories\t\t\t<\/p>\n Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates<\/a><\/strong> newsletter or get Breaking News<\/a> <\/strong>alerts the moment it happens. <\/p>\n \t\t \t\t Healey told the press conference his message to Russia and its president Vladimir Putin<\/a> was: \u2018We see you, we know what you\u2019re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week we are ready.\u2019<\/p>\n He added that this was the second time the vessel had been deployed to UK waters this year.<\/p>\n The Defence Secretary highlighted the brief Iran-Israel war, recent revelations about Chinese spies in Parliament<\/a>, and drones in the skies over Europe as evidence the UK is in a \u2018new era of threat\u2019.<\/p>\n He said: \u2018It demands a new era for defence, an era of hard power, strong allies and of sure diplomacy. And as the threat grows, Britain must step up, and we are.\u2019<\/p>\n Earlier this year, two leading experts warned\u00a0Metro<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>that the UK was \u2018sleepwalking into a bloody ambush\u2019.<\/a><\/p>\n Dr Simon Bennett from the University of\u00a0Leicester<\/a>\u00a0School of Business suggested the UK may not emerge sovereign and free unless it wakes up.<\/p>\n Starmer\u2019s refusal to set a deadline on his commitment to spend a larger percentage of GDP on defence only \u2018emboldens Putin\u2019, Dr Bennett said.<\/p>\n \u2018There is no sense that we have developed a war mentality or that we intend to develop a war\u00a0economy<\/a>,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n Chatham House Russian expert Keir Giles agreed, but pointed out this year\u2019s defence review did focus on raising \u2018civil awareness and resilience\u2019.<\/p>\n He said: \u2018It seems they\u2019ve recognised that there is a fundamental mission of educating Britain\u2019s public and its voters as to the threats facing them and other UK institutions.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_275462895-9e8f.jpg\")
\n\t\tHMS Severn, lower section, is seen tracking the Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy off the UK coast. (Picture: United Kingdom Ministry of Defence via AP)<\/p>\n![\"Handout](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/SEI_267619521-d07a.jpg\")
\n\t\tThe ministry reported a 30 per cent increase in\u00a0Russian vessels \u201cthreatening\u201d UK waters<\/a>\u00a0in the past two years. (Picture: MoD\/Crown Copyright\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n
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