The Royal Navy has stepped up monitoring of Russian military activity around the UK and across the North Atlantic, with warships and helicopters deployed for 21 days during July,
according to new Ministry of Defence figures.
The level of naval activity directed at Russian vessels has risen by 25% during the first seven months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, reflecting growing demands on the UK's maritime forces.
Four Royal Navy ships — HMS Somerset, HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn — took part in the operations, supported by Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin aircraft equipped for anti-submarine warfare.
The deployments included tracking Russian warships and submarines and monitoring vessels linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet, which is used to transport oil and other cargoes despite international sanctions.
One of the vessels repeatedly monitored by the Royal Navy was the Russian frigate RFN Neustrashimy. The ship has been operating through the UK's maritime area of responsibility while escorting shadow-fleet tankers along established shipping routes.
The repeated escorts are placing additional demands on the Royal Navy, which must maintain surveillance of Russian activity while continuing other defence commitments.
The latest figures follow the UK's interception of the sanctioned oil tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel in June. Britain says it has sanctioned more than 500 vessels connected to Russia's shadow fleet.
The government argues that targeting the fleet is part of a broader effort to restrict Moscow's revenues and reduce the resources available to support its war in Ukraine.
Russian frigate monitored during live-fire exercise
One of the July operations involved HMS Tyne, which was tracking Neustrashimy when the Russian frigate conducted a gunnery exercise on 20 July outside British and French territorial waters.
The Royal Navy patrol ship moved to within about five nautical miles of the Russian vessel and continued collecting information as it fired its weapons.
The exercise included roughly 20 rounds from the frigate's 100mm main gun, along with fire from its 30mm weapons.
Lt Cdr Sam Fields, commanding officer of HMS Tyne, said the ship's continued presence allowed it to monitor the Russian activity while providing reassurance to allies.
“Through sustained presence and close cooperation with allies, HMS Tyne was ideally suited to this task,” he said.
North Atlantic patrol tracks submarine activity
HMS Somerset has meanwhile completed a four-month deployment in the North Atlantic focused on monitoring surface and underwater activity.
The Type 23 frigate, based in Plymouth, was equipped with sophisticated underwater sensors and operated with a Merlin anti-submarine warfare helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron.
The ship returned to the UK on Friday after travelling more than 24,000 nautical miles.
Its mission included supporting the UK's continuing operation to protect the country's nuclear deterrent, as well as monitoring potential submarine movements and working alongside NATO forces and the UK's Carrier Strike Group.
Commander Matt Millyard, HMS Somerset's commanding officer, said the deployment demonstrated the Royal Navy's role in protecting Britain and its allies.
He praised the crew for maintaining a high level of readiness while operating across the North Atlantic for four months.
HMS Severn shadows Russian frigate
HMS Severn was also called into action twice in July to monitor Russian naval movements.
The patrol ship initially tracked the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich as it travelled east from Ushant, off the French coast, towards the Dover Strait.
A second operation began on 23 July, when Severn was tasked with locating and shadowing Neustrashimy. The ship spent three days monitoring the frigate before taking over from HMS Mersey in the North Sea.
The Russian vessel was escorting the shadow-fleet tanker MV Vulkan from the Baltic, through the Dover Strait and towards Ushant.
Severn and Mersey subsequently handed responsibility for monitoring Neustrashimy between them as the Russian frigate headed west towards Dover after completing the escort mission.
The Ministry of Defence says the increased tempo of these operations underlines the continued importance of maintaining a persistent Royal Navy presence around the UK's maritime approaches as Russian naval and commercial activity remains under close scrutiny.
Lieutenant Commander Dom Jacobs, Executive Officer in Temporary Command of HMS Severn, said:
“I’m really proud of my ship’s company’s ability to adapt quickly to changes of tasking from Fleet Ready Escort to our training output as the Fleet Navigation Training Ship.
This shows the versatility of my crew and the other OPVs to deliver a range of tasks demonstrating our continued relevance and operational value”.
