Vladimir Putin is diverting some of his most advanced warships to escort sanctioned and shadow fleet oil tankers near to UK waters – including one frigate armed with hypersonic missiles earlier this month.
Experts tracking Russian flagged and “shadow fleet” ships are monitoring whether the Kremlin will look to sail through the English Channel and North Sea to send a message after making fresh threats of retaliation over Britain’s increasing support for Ukraine.
Open-source evidence reveals that earlier this month the Russian warship Admiral Kasatonov escorted a cargo ship through the Baltics before entering the North Sea and heading north past Norway.
Shorts
The Admiral Kasatonov is regarded as one of the most advanced warships in the Russian navy, equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles and nuclear-capable Zircon hypersonic missiles, which would have been in range of the UK during this trip.
