Navy tracks Russian ships through Channel
Tensions high over Ukraine
A FLEET of Russian warships has been shadowed by the Royal Navy in the Channel amid mounting fears war could erupt in Europe in a matter of weeks.
Portsmouth-based warships HMS Dragon and HMS Tyne followed the trio of Russian assault vessels as they entered the North Sea and sailed off the south coast.
The ships’ arrival comes amid fears that Russian forces are preparing to invade Ukraine, with 120,000 troops massed on the border.
The Royal Navy ships took over from the Dutch Navy and have since passed on the baton of shadowing the Russian vessels to France’s
Marine Nationale.
The Ministry of Defence sought to play down the Russian transit through the Channel, insisting the operation was a routine one.
An MoD spokesman told The News: ‘As part of a unified response with our allies, the Royal Navy are monitoring the presence of Russian ships as they transit through the English Channel.’
The trio of Russian warships’ trip followed an announcement by Moscow’s Ministry of Defence that Vladimir Putin plans to hold naval drills in the Atlantic, Arctic, Mediterranean and Pacific this month.
Over the coming weeks, war games with Putin’s ally, Belarus, will include displays by more than 140 warships and support vessels. The exercise will also feature 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of military equipment and around 10,000 servicemen, the defence ministry said.
It comes amid growing fears of war in Ukraine, with Moscow having massed more than 100,000 troops on the country’s border, along with tanks, missile batteries and armoured vehicles.
New evidence suggests troops are massing within striking distance of Kiev.
Forces are in Belarus less than 20 miles from Ukraine's frontier, after a surge in troop and equipment movements from Russia's far east.
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the commons defence committee, believes a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be ‘imminent’.
‘Putin is taking full advantage of a weakened West. We are looking risk-averse, somewhat timid,’ he said.
The Russian defence minister has accepted an invitation to meet UK defence secretary Ben Wallace.
It comes after Downing Street warned Russia would be ‘punished’ if the country pushes ahead with any ‘destabilising action’ in Ukraine.