London —
A Russian naval vessel carried out a rare live-fire weapons exercise off the British coast on Monday, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence, on the first day of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s tenure.
The vessel, identified by British media as the “Neustrashimy,” conducted the exercise in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles (around 46 miles) from Plymouth, a port city in southwest England.
“The Royal Navy monitored that exercise throughout, continues to track the vessel’s activity closely and stands ready to protect UK national security,” a Ministry of Defence spokesperson told CNN.
The incident occurred as Burnham assumed office, and amid increased Russian naval activity near the UK coastline in recent months. Last month, the UK intercepted a Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the English Channel for first time.
