A Russian warship's rare gunnery exercise near the UK could backfire on Vladimir Putin, a former head of the Royal Navy has suggested. Lord West said the Neustrashimy's bizarre live-firing 40 nautical miles (46 miles) south of Plymouth could have the reverse effect that Vladimir Putin wanted.
Former Navy chief criticizes timing
The Labour peer, who was First Sea Lord between 2002 and 2006, said the drills on Monday morning were designed to provoke Britain but doubted they were done to coincide with Andy Burnham's first day as prime minister. Lord West said Mr Putin hates Britain and suggested the incident involving the Russian frigate could help spring the new government into funneling more money into defence, with ex-defence secretary John Healey appointed Chancellor.
He said: There's no doubt this is a reminder to Burnham about how important the spending on defence is. I hope that with Healey now going into the Treasury, Burnham will make sure via Healey that the money that is required for defence is spent. So in a sense, it would backfire on Putin wouldn't it?
Exercise conducted hours before PM change
The Neustrashimy conducted the drills between 9am and 10am on Monday, just hours before Mr Burnham officially replaced Sir Keir Starmer as PM. Former head of the British Army, Lord Dannatt, said the timing was not entirely by happenstance, telling Times Radio he believed it was another illustration of the aggressive instinct shown by Mr Putin.
The 130-metre-long Neustrashimy, from the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet, was being tracked by a Royal Navy warship as it sailed close to the UK. The Neustrashimy informed HMS Tyne of its intention to test-fire its guns and requested that the patrol vessel move to a safer distance, which it did. The live-firing then took place in international waters, where warships are allowed to conduct drills, lasting half an hour.
MoD monitors vessel activity
A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said the Navy monitored the exercise throughout its duration and continues to track the vessel's activity closely. Lord West said the Neustrashimy's gunnery activity exercise was carried out in an area where Royal Navy vessels often exercise. Describing the incident as slightly strange, he said: Quite clearly what Putin is doing is just trying to provoke things.
The former Navy chief added: If they wanted really detailed training exercises for their ship, they'd go into their training areas and do it there where they've got all the facilities. There's no real excuse for doing it. It has not been confirmed which weapons were fired during the exercise.
Increased Russian naval activity around UK
The Neustrashimy is understood to have been escorting alleged Russian shadow fleet oil tankers through the Channel. It is believed to have taken over from the Admiral Grigorovich which made headlines last month after firing warning shots at a British couple sailing a yacht. The ship's presence is an example of increased Russian naval activity around the UK.
Navy chief General Sir Gwyn Jenkins has warned Russian incursions into British waters have risen by 30% in two years. Tensions reached a flashpoint last month after Royal Marine commandos boarded and seized an alleged shadow fleet tanker. The ship was interdicted around 25 miles off the Isle of Wight in the first UK-led operation of its kind. Britain had previously been accused of not doing enough to stop the sanctioned vessels, suspected of helping to fund Russia's war on Ukraine by transporting oil and gas while evading international sanctions.
