Two Royal Navy River Class offshore patrol vessels, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, were ordered this week to shadow a Russian corvette and oil tanker in the English Channel sailing towards the North Sea.
A Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron was also deployed in the two-day NATO-assisted operation.
Minister for the Armed Forces Al Carns MP said: “With this operation, our sailors have once again sent a message to Putin – we know exactly what his navy is doing.
The Russian ships were returning from the Mediterranean and closely tracked by NATO for the duration of their voyage.
The UK regularly tracks suspected Russian shadow fleet activities close to British territorial waters and shares any information with its NATO Allies.
