A Russian warship carried out a live-fire exercise in the English Channel about 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth on Monday, the UK Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.
A ministry spokesperson said the Royal Navy monitored the exercise, was continuing to track the vessel’s activity and stood ready to protect the UK’s national security.
The ministry said the Russian ship had warned the British patrol vessel HMS Tyne, which was operating in the area, of its intention to conduct the firing and asked it to move to a safer distance.
The exercise, described by The Guardian as rare, lasted for around 30 minutes.
It took place on the day Andy Burnham arrived in Downing Street as prime minister, against a backdrop of rising tensions with Russia in the Channel and northern European waters.
In mid-June, British forces intercepted a tanker from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Channel.
Two days later, a yacht registered in the UK said it had been subjected to warning shots fired by a Russian warship while sailing south of the Isle of Wight, outside British territorial waters.
Then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned that incident as “reckless”, while Russia’s defence ministry said the yacht had been approaching the Russian frigate “dangerously”.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin said it had “no hope” of better relations with London following Burnham’s arrival in power, accusing the new British Prime Minister of giving Ukraine “unconditional support”.
