British navy tracks ‘upsurge’ in Russian ships in its waters

BRUSSELS — British ships and a helicopter were dispatched over the Christmas holiday weekend to track an “upsurge” of Russian naval vessels passing near British waters, the British navy said Tuesday, as British and NATO leaders warn of Russian naval activity at levels unseen since the Cold War.

At least four Russian ships, including a warship and an intelligence-gathering ship, passed near British waters starting on Saturday, the British navy said. The traffic on the water meant British sailors on the Royal Navy frigate St. Albans spent Christmas tracking their Russian counterparts. Those sailors planned to return to port on Tuesday, the navy said, although they remained on high readiness.

The ship traffic came days after the head of the British military warned in an interview of the threat of Russian submarine activity near the sensitive undersea data cables that carry internet traffic between North America and Europe.

“I will not hesitate in defending our waters or tolerate any form of aggression,” said British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson in a statement announcing the holiday maneuvers. “Britain will never be intimidated when it comes to protecting our country, our people, and our national interests.”

Russian ships routinely sail through international waters near British territory as they pass from ports in northern Russia into the open Atlantic or into the Mediterranean, where they have been involved in Russia’s intervention in Syria. Before formally entering Russian naval service, ships are often tested in the international waters of the North Sea, which may have been the case for at least one of the Russian ships when the St. Albans arrived to monitor it.

The British navy did not allege any misbehavior or territorial violations, and because it does not routinely publicize its encounters with Russian ships, it was not immediately clear how unusual the Christmas movements were.

In its statement, the British navy said that “the festive season has seen an upsurge in Russian units transiting U.K. waters.”

British Air Chief Marshal Stuart Peach said last week that his nation’s doctrine was to closely track Russian vessels that neared British waters. He said that he believed NATO needed to focus on maintaining open lines of communication across the Atlantic in the face of a resurgent Russian navy.

“Of course, we respect freedom of navigation,” he said in an interview, “but equally we also shadow and monitor.”