Russian Frigate Patrolling English Coast for Months Without Intervention
A Russian warship has been patrolling waters off the English coast for almost two months without intervention from the Royal Navy. The Admiral Grigorovich, a Black Sea Fleet frigate, has also been seen loitering around the Galloper wind farm, off the Suffolk coastline.
The Telegraph revealed in April that the warship was escorting Russian shadow fleet tankers through the Channel, defying Sir Keir Starmer’s pledge to crack down on the Russian illicit fuel trade. Since then, the Grigorovich has escorted more than a dozen tankers through the waters around the UK.
Escorted Tankers Defy Pledge to Crack Down
The Prime Minister pledged in March to go “even harder” after Russia’s ships, but the Navy has not conducted any interceptions since then, even though some of the Grigorovich’s sorties have taken it through British territorial waters. Government sources previously told The Telegraph that challenging an escorted Russian tankers would be fraught with operational and legal difficulties, including the possibility that merchant crews aboard the vessel would be eligible for asylum.
There are also concerns that mounting a military operation against the ships off the coast of the UK would lead to a naval battle with the heavily armed Grigorovich. Russia has continued to earn the bulk of its foreign revenue from the export of oil and gas despite facing international sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
Shadow Fleet Continues to Operate
The petrochemicals are transported through international waters by a large “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers, many of which are individually sanctioned, but many of which have their identities hidden and their ownership concealed. Military sources have also complained that much of the Navy’s monitoring work has been conducted by civilian sailors on auxiliary fleet vessels because of a shortage of British warships.
Russian Presence at Galloper Wind Farm Raises Questions
The Grigorovich’s presence 30 miles from the Suffolk coast was revealed by the i Paper, which said it was accompanied by an advanced Kremlin support ship. The second ship was observed near the offshore wind farm with inflatable fenders, suggesting it may have been used to refuel the Grigorovich at sea. It is unknown why the Russian fleet is showing an interest in the Galloper wind farm, but the development provides power to 400,000 homes, and the Russian presence there led previously to a Nato monitoring mission which included a Dutch navy patrol vessel.
Navy Monitoring Efforts
The Navy said it monitored the Grigorovich every day in April, using the patrol vessels HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey, and HMS Severn, along with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Tideforce, and Wildcat helicopters. In that time, the Navy said, the Grigorovich escorted six merchant and support vessels, and one submarine.
Pledge to Authorize Interdictions
Sir Keir pledged to authorize British military and law enforcement staff to conduct interdictions in UK waters if necessary, and telling Vladimir Putin he “should be in no doubt” that Britain would act against the ships. In April, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, took the unusual step of declassifying the details of a joint operation to monitor Russian spy submarines in UK waters north of Scotland.
Three Russian vessels were seen operating near deep-sea cables that formed part of Britain’s critical national infrastructure. Mr. Healey said that the submarines had left the area after monitoring from the UK, Norway, and other allies. The minister warned that Britain had seen a 30 per cent increase in Russian naval activity in UK waters but there was “no evidence” the undersea cables had been damaged.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “It is incorrect to suggest there has been no intervention. The Royal Navy has consistently been monitoring and tracking the Grigorovich’s movements.”
Original Article: Russian frigate spends months escorting sanctioned tankers through Channel — Yahoo