The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich escorted around six merchant and auxiliary vessels, as well as a submarine, in April along routes close to the United Kingdom’s coastline.
Throughout the operation, the movements of the naval group were monitored by the British Royal Navy, which deployed patrol ships, aircraft and helicopters to track Russian activity between the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
According to information released by the British press, the surveillance mission involved HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, as well as the tanker RFA Tideforce and Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron. UK analysts said that among the escorted vessels were the tankers MV Triumf, MV Kolodkin, MV Gefest and MV Universal.
Maritime security reports indicate that Moscow has been increasing the use of military vessels to protect the so-called “shadow fleet”, used to transport Russian oil amid sanctions imposed by Western countries. The growth of this activity has raised the alert level among European nations, particularly in the Baltic Sea and North Sea regions.
The Admiral Grigorovich belongs to Project 11356R and is part of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet. The vessel is equipped with Kalibr-NK missiles, Shtil-1 air defence systems, anti-submarine weapons and a Ka-27 helicopter. Only three frigates of this class were built by Russia, while European forces, such as France and Sweden, have already intensified inspection and escort operations involving sanctioned Russian ships.
Source and images: Royal Navy | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
