The Royal Navy has reported a significant rise in Russian naval activity in UK waters over the past year. In July, naval operations tracking Russian vessels increased by 25% compared to the same month last year.
Deployments and monitoring
Offshore patrol vessels HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn were deployed to monitor the Russian ships Neustrashimy and Admiral Grigorovich, which were escorting 'shadow fleet' tankers in the Dover Strait and the North Sea. Russia uses its shadow fleet, a network of 700 ageing tankers, to evade sanctions on its oil exports and to help fund the war in Ukraine.
HMS Tyne also monitored the Neustrashimy during a live firing exercise on July 20 near British and French waters.
NATO operations and seizures
In addition, the frigate HMS Somerset and helicopters from the Navy's Fleet Air Arm have been monitoring Russian activity in the North Atlantic as part of a four-month NATO operation to locate submarines in the area. Commander Matt Millyard, commanding officer of HMS Somerset, said: 'This deployment demonstrates exactly what the Royal Navy exists to do – protect the UK and our allies from wherever our interests are threatened.' He added, 'I am immensely proud of every single member of the ship's company for what we have achieved over the past four months. It is fantastic to bring the ship home after a highly successful deployment and reunite with our families.'
Earlier this year, in June, the Smyrtos tanker was seized by Royal Marines and boarded by British forces. The ship's captain, Ajay Pant, was charged with allegedly breaching international sanctions on Russian oil transport.
Increased activity and incidents
The Ministry of Defence's annual report, released last month, stated that Royal Navy vessels had been 'activated' 116 times in the year to March 2026 to shadow 61 Russian warships and 28 merchant vessels, marking a 30% increase in Russian naval activity over the previous two years. This included operations to deter the spy ship Yantar, which was spotted near undersea cables off Scotland in November 2025.
