The Royal Navy of the UK closely tracked a Russian warship and a sanctioned cargo ship as they sailed through the English Channel this week, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

At the helm of the operation was HMS Somerset, a British war frigate with a track record of monitoring Russian vessels. The Royal Navy said it “kept a close eye” as Russia’s Boikiy warship led the Baltic Leader out of British waters. These tailing operations are all part of Britain’s normal security routine to keep tabs on likely threats, including threats to undersea infrastructure such as cables and pipelines.

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Russian Cargo Ship in the Spotlight

The Baltic Leader, The Times says, is a Russian cargo vessel under US sanctions for reportedly shipping military gear. The cargo vessel was said to have been shipping military equipment from Russia’s Tartus naval base in Syria, where Moscow is trimming operations and moving assets.

Joseph Byrne, a senior Open Source Centre analyst, commented that satellite images showed the Baltic Leader loading cargo in Tartus. “Though the precise contents are still uncertain, Tartus is one of the principal storage facilities for Russian military gear, probably bound for transport,” Byrne said.

In the past weeks since mid-February, several Russian-flagged cargo vessels have departed Syria via the Mediterranean and into the English Channel, triggering security fears among Western countries.

 

Royal Navy’s Monitoring Efforts

HMS Somerset, which had earlier shadowed Russia’s alleged spy vessel Yantar in January, has been busy keeping tabs on Russian naval activity. In the previous month, Royal Navy ships also tracked six Russian vessels carrying ammunition from Syria via the Channel.

Somerset started monitoring Boikiy on Saturday as it traveled south across the North Sea and English Channel to meet with the Baltic Leader and accompany it back to Russia. The Royal Navy is keeping a sharp eye as tensions continue regarding Russian military activities close to British waters.