The United Kingdom has increased its monitoring of Russian military activity in UK waters and the North Atlantic, with Royal Navy operations rising by 25 per cent in the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year.
The UK Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that Royal Navy warships and helicopters spent 21 days conducting operations in July to monitor Russian warships and submarines.
Four Royal Navy vessels — HMS Somerset, HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn — were deployed alongside Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin submarine-hunting aircraft.
The ministry said Russian frigate RFN Neustrashimy had repeatedly transited the UK’s area of responsibility while escorting vessels described by the UK as part of Russia’s shadow fleet. It said the activity was placing additional demands on Royal Navy resources as the vessels were monitored.
The increased monitoring comes after the UK intercepted the sanctioned shadow fleet oil tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel in June. The British government said it had sanctioned more than 500 vessels as part of efforts to disrupt Russia’s shadow fleet, which it said was helping sustain Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
