Russian Frigate Holds Live-Fire Drills Off the British Coast — Royal Navy Pulls Back at Moscow's Demand

A Russian warship being shadowed by Britain's Royal Navy carried out live-fire exercises on Tuesday in international waters roughly 40 nautical miles (about 74 km) south of Plymouth, England. The news was confirmed by the UK's naval command.

According to London, before the drills began the Russian frigate warned the nearby British patrol vessel HMS Tyne of its intention to conduct live firing and demanded it move to a safe distance. The British ship complied, and the roughly 30-minute exercise took place in international waters without incident.

"We monitored the exercise throughout, we continue to closely track this vessel's movements, and we stand ready to defend the United Kingdom's national security," the Royal Navy said in a statement.

The ship in question is the Russian frigate Neustrashimy ("Fearless"), about 130 metres long, which has been in service since 1990 and carries a crew of more than 200. It is a missile-armed warship designed mainly for anti-submarine and anti-air defence, though it is also capable of striking surface vessels; besides missiles and artillery, it carries a helicopter.

The vessel is one of several Russian naval ships escorting tankers of the so-called shadow fleet — which Moscow uses to dodge Western sanctions — through the English Channel. A month earlier, another Russian frigate on a similar mission, the Admiral Grigorovich, made headlines after firing several warning shots at a small yacht carrying a retired British couple sailing from Britain to France.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz