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Royal Navy tracks Russian ships in UK waters

Published 29 August 2026

The Royal Navy conducted an intense 72-hour operation last week to track a Russian destroyer and a group of sanctioned cargo vessels as they transited through British waters, in a significant display of maritime surveillance amid heightened Russian activity in the region. The operation, which began on August 21, involved the Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, the Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans, and the patrol vessel HMS Severn. These warships shadowed the Russian destroyer Admiral Levchenko as it escorted the sanctioned cargo ships General Skobelev and Sparta south through the North Sea and into the English Channel.

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