Royal Navy monitors Russians on Channel manoeuvre

ROYAL NAVY vessels monitored Russian warships as they began to move through the English Channel en route to a suspected bolstering of the bombing campaign against the besieged Syrian city Aleppo.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the deployment of the Russian convoy was aimed at testing British capabilities and that it would be marked “every inch of the way”.

The Russian vessels, including the smoke-belching aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, were shadowed by the Navy as they passed through the Dover Strait one of the busiest seaways in the world.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “They are all in one line now. They have to be to effectively go through the traffic separation scheme, and they are progressing as expected.

I would reject suggestions that the Russians feel we are too weak A Downing Street spokesman

“They haven’t slowed or sped up. They are going to be past Dover in the next few hours. When they are clear of the Dover traffic separation scheme, they will probably break back out in a formation scheme and be on their way. We still don’t know where that is and how they are going to get there, but everything so far has been exactly how we would have expected.”

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said in September that the Admiral Kuznetsov-led Northern Fleet would be joining a taskforce in the Mediterranean.

Asked whether the Russian deployment was an indication that Moscow regarded Britain as weak, a Downing Street spokesman said: “I would reject suggestions that the Russians feel we are too weak. Clearly, we are not weak at all.”