LONDON, Nov 24 (KUNA) -- The UK Royal Navy are patrolling the English Channel to the High North amid 30 percent increased Russian activity threatening UK waters.
The Navy intercepts Russian warship and tanker in the Dover Strait and English Channel whilst Royal Air Force (RAF) P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft deployed to Iceland to patrol North Atlantic, the UK Ministry of Defence statement said on Monday.
In the past fortnight, Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Severn intercepted Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy and tanker Yelnya off the UK coast, in a round-the-clock shadowing operation as the Russian vessels sailed through the Dover Strait and westward through the English Channel.
HMS Severn later handed over monitoring duties to a NATO ally off the coast of Brittany, but continued to observe from a distance and remained ready to respond to any unexpected activity.
On Wednesday, the Defence Secretary confirmed that Russian spy ship Yantar - used for gathering intelligence and mapping undersea cables - was operating on the edge of UK waters north of Scotland.
In a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Defence Secretary said, "We see you. We know what you are doing. And we are ready." As Yantar lingered in UK's wider waters, its crew directed lasers at the RAF P-8 pilots tracking it in a reckless and dangerous act. While tracking Yantar, Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset and other civilian ships in the area experienced GPS jamming in a further demonstration of unprofessional behaviour, intended to be disruptive and a nuisance. HMS Somerset's combat capabilities were not affected, the statement affirmed.
The UK has a wide range of military options at its disposal to keep UK waters safe. Three RAF P-8 Poseidon aircraft have deployed to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland in the largest overseas deployment of the RAF P-8 fleet so far.
The P-8s from 120 Squadron are conducting surveillance operations as part of NATO's collective defence, patrolling for Russian ships and submarines in the North Atlantic and Arctic.
While in Iceland, RAF crews are working closely with NATO allies including the US and Canada, reinforcing the UK's NATO-first approach and commitment to Euro-Atlantic security in this new era of threat.
These operations reaffirm the UK's unwavering commitment to national security and protecting critical undersea infrastructure, underpinning this Government's Plan for Change, the statement added. (end) nbs.gb