Defence secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday said he would ‘not hesitate’ to defend Britain following an upsurge in the number of Russian warships in our waters.
Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans was yesterday tracking the Russian vessel Admiral Gorshkov as it made its way across the North Sea menacingly close to Britain.
Although such crossings are fairly routine, there has been a rise in the number of Russian ships passing close to British territorial waters in recent days.
On Christmas Eve, HMS Tyne was dispatched to escort a Russian intelligence-gathering ship through the North Sea and the England Channel.
A Wildcat helicopter was then dispatched to monitor two further Russian vessels.
Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans was yesterday tracking the Russian vessel Admiral Gorshkov as it made its way across the North Sea menacingly close to Britain
Although such crossings are fairly routine, there has been a rise in the number of Russian ships passing close to British territorial waters in recent days
In an unusually strong statement, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘I will not hesitate in defending our waters or tolerate any form of aggression.
‘Britain will never be intimidated when it comes to protecting our country, our people, and our national interests.’
Russian warships of the northern and Baltic fleets routinely pass through UK territorial waters en route to or from deployments in the Mediterranean and Gulf regions.
Chris Ansell, the Commanding Officer of HMS St Albans, said: ‘My ship’s company take great pride in serving Great Britain and the role they play dealing with both the routine and unexpected.
In an unusually strong statement, Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘I will not hesitate in defending our waters or tolerate any form of aggression’
The crew of HMS St Albans are pictured on Christmas Day while they were escorting a Russian warship through the North Sea
‘Missing parts of Christmas and New Year with our families is never easy, but it is absolutely required as part of our duty to keep Britain safe all year round.
‘There is a pressing need to protect UK interests close to home, in the air, above and below the waves.
‘Our trade, economy and information networks depend on the sea, and this operation demonstrates the Royal Navy’s commitment to protecting our home waters and readiness to undertake short notice operations.’
UK relations with Russia remain tense after foreign secretary Boris Johnson and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov acknowledged ‘difficulties’ in their relationship last week.
Lavrov said it was ‘not a secret’ that relations were at a ‘very low point,’ but also stressed he did not think the deterioration was Russia’s fault.