Royal Navy Tracks Russian Naval Group Over Christmas Holidays

The U.K. Royal Navy maintained constant surveillance of a Russian naval group during the Christmas holidays as it navigated through the British Isles, the service confirmed on Wednesday.

Nearly 200 crew members of HMS Somerset were recalled to the frigate at Devonport Naval Base on Christmas Day, departing on December 27 to monitor the Russian force, which included the corvette RFS Soobrazitelny and its support vessels, MV Sparta II and MV General Skobelev.

The Russian vessels were first encountered in the North Sea, where they were closely followed as they made their way through the Dover Strait and into the English Channel. Despite challenging weather conditions, including fog, HMS Somerset used sensors to track the Russian ships for over 500 miles. When visibility improved, the ship’s Merlin helicopter, supported by 814 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Culdrose, was deployed to enhance the surveillance operation and capture imagery of both the Russian vessels and the Royal Navy's shadowing activities.