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A U.K. patrol vessel has intercepted a Russian corvette and a tanker aft shadowing them done the English Channel, the Defence Ministry said Sunday (November 23, 2025), adding that Russian naval enactment astir U.K. waters had accrued by 30 per cent implicit the past 2 years.
During the past 2 weeks, the patrol vessel HMS Severn intercepted the Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy and tanker Yelnya arsenic they sailed done the English Channel, the Ministry said. The Severn yet handed implicit monitoring duties to an unidentified NATO state disconnected the seashore of Brittany.
In summation to the ships stationed astir the U.K. coast, Britain has deployed 3 Poseidon surveillance craft to Iceland arsenic portion of a NATO ngo patrolling for Russian ships and submarines successful the North Atlantic and Arctic, the Ministry said.
The quality comes conscionable days aft Defence Secretary John Healey told reporters that the Russian spy vessel Yantar had aimed lasers astatine the pilots of surveillance craft monitoring its activities disconnected the seashore of Scotland. Britain described the Yantar’s actions arsenic “reckless and dangerous,” adding that Britain was acceptable to respond to immoderate incursions into its territory.
“My connection to Russia and to Putin is this: We spot you. We cognize what you're doing,” Mr. Healey said connected Wednesday (November 19, 2025).
The Russian Embassy successful London responded to Mr. Healey’s comments by accusing the British authorities of “whipping up militaristic hysteria,” adding that Moscow has nary involvement successful undermining the U.K.’s security.
Mr. Healey issued the informing arsenic helium made the lawsuit for accrued defence spending a week earlier the authorities releases its caller budget. Even though Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged large subject spending increases successful airy of threats from Russia, China and Iran, the authorities is facing pugnacious commercialized offs arsenic it eyes taxation increases and spending cuts to adjacent a multi-billion-pound shortfall successful its finances.
