Dramatic images released by the Royal Navy capture the precise moment a Russian frigate opened fire just 40 miles south of Plymouth – only 24 hours after Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. The Neustrashimy conducted a live-fire exercise in international waters in the English Channel at around 9am on July 20.
Photographs show the warship’s naval guns blazing during a half-hour drill that officials believe was intended as a clear warning to the new Downing Street incumbent. Royal Navy ships had already been mobilised to track the vessel after it repeatedly transited UK waters escorting Moscow’s shadow fleet oil tankers. HMS Tyne, an offshore patrol vessel, shadowed the frigate throughout.
Monitoring and radio contact
A French military aircraft also monitored the ship and made radio contact seeking clarification of its intentions. Before opening fire, the Neustrashimy informed HMS Tyne it planned gunnery exercises and asked the British ship to move to a safer distance. HMS Tyne complied, withdrawing to five nautical miles as the Russian vessel fired around 20 rounds from its main 100mm gun and additional shots from its 30mm battery.
Lieutenant Commander Sam Fields, commanding officer of HMS Tyne, said: “Through sustained presence and close cooperation with allies, HMS Tyne was ideally suited to this task, providing reassurance and monitoring while enabling other Fleet units to continue their operational commitments.”
The French navy’s Marine Nationale released its own images of the Neustrashimy and confirmed its ships had been tracking the frigate across the region. A French spokesperson stated that an offshore patrol vessel in the North Sea had ensured continuous surveillance as part of permanent monitoring of French and European maritime approaches.
Escalation and response
The live-fire incident followed a significant escalation in June when Royal Marine Commandos boarded the Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel – the first such mission by UK forces. Video released by the Ministry of Defence showed helicopters intercepting the vessel off the Dorset coast on June 14.
In response to the Neustrashimy’s actions, the Royal Navy announced it is stepping up monitoring of Russian movements in UK waters and the North Atlantic. British warships and helicopters spent 21 days last month tracking Moscow’s maritime activity. Overall monitoring has increased 25% in the first seven months of the year compared with 2025.
Recent operations
HMS Tyne, HMS Somerset, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, supported by Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin submarine-hunting aircraft, were all involved in recent operations. HMS Somerset conducted a four-month North Atlantic deployment using advanced underwater sensors. HMS Severn twice shadowed Russian vessels, including the Neustrashimy as it escorted the tanker MV Vulkan through the Dover Strait.
Earlier this year, five Royal Navy ships tracked the frigate Admiral Grigorovich after it fired warning shots at a British couple’s yacht south of the Isle of Wight on 16 June. Jane Kelvey, 68, and her husband Alan, 70, aboard Bright Future, reported hearing five horn blasts followed by gunfire as they approached within 500 metres of the warship.
The Neustrashimy’s armaments include a 100mm gun, Kashtan close-in weapon system, Kinzhal surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes. Its latest exercise, captured in the newly released images, underscores the heightened Russian naval presence in waters close to the British coast.
