The Russian Navy frigate Neustrashimy, a member of the country’s Baltic Fleet, carried out live-fire artillery drills on July 20 about 40 nautical miles, or 74 kilometers, south of the British port of Plymouth on Monday, according to a report by the BBC. A Royal Navy vessel observed the exercise, and a British Defense Ministry spokesperson said the Royal Navy continues to closely monitor the Russian ship’s movements.
The BBC reported that the Russian warship informed the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Tyne that it intended to conduct artillery drills. The Russian crew asked HMS Tyne to move to a safe distance, which it did.
A French military aircraft also monitored the Neustrashimy, contacting the ship by radio and asking it to state its intentions. The frigate’s live-fire drills took place in international waters and lasted 30 minutes.
Last week, The Insider reported that the Neustrashimy, which had recently been detected off Britain’s coast, had likely replaced the Admiral Grigorovich, which spent several months escorting “shadow fleet” tankers through the English Channel.
In late March, then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had authorized British forces to detain vessels that fall under British sanctions. Since then, one such detention has been reported: on June 14, the tanker Smyrtos (IMO: 9389100) was boarded by Royal Marines and officers from the National Crime Agency.
