A Royal Navy warship is tracking the movements of a Russian warship in the North Sea.
HMS Portland is monitoring the Russian guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov and accompanying tanker Kama as they sail in international waters of the North Sea - close to the UK.
The Type 23 frigate joined the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel Bergen, as the Russian ships transited south through the Norwegian Sea.
British boat Portland embarked with her specialist Merlin helicopter to track and report on the movements of the Russian ships through the North Sea.
Both were equipped with cutting-edge sonars, sensors and torpedoes for specialist operations.
It comes amid ongoing conflict between Russia in Ukraine, after Russian Vladimir Putin launched a 'full scale invasion' of Ukraine on in February last year.
The tyrant's supporters have previously called for an attack on the UK, warning that the nation was readying a monster missile.
A little more than a week ago, the Mirror reported that one of Vladimir Putin's warships armed with "unstoppable" nukes was set to sail past the UK.
The Russian leader is said to be getting ready to send a frigate armed with Mach 9 nuclear-capable hypersonic Zircon - or Tsirkon - missiles past the coast of Britain in "early 2023" in a show of strength to the West.
A source close to the Russian defence ministry told TASS state news agency: "The Admiral Gorshkov is scheduled to begin its combat duty at sea in January 2023.
“It will perform its combat tasks in the Mediterranean Sea, with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles on board.”
Portland’s Commanding Officer Commander Ed Moss-Ward on Thursday said: “Escorting warships in UK territorial waters and the adjacent sea areas is routine activity for the Royal Navy.
“By maintaining a visible and persistent presence, the Royal Navy ensures compliance with maritime law and deters malign activity to protect our nation’s interests.
“Escorting the Russian task group alongside forces from our NATO allies has demonstrated the UK’s commitment to the alliance and to maintaining maritime security.”
The HMS Portland departed her home port of Plymouth on Saturday on her latest patrol.
The vessel – which underwent a major refit in 2021 – is adept at surface warfare operations as well as hunting submarines.
HMS Portland spent much of last year patrolling waters close to the UK, with visits to Norway and Sweden, and operating with NATO allies on the alliance’s submarine hunting exercise – Dynamic Mongoose – in the North Atlantic.
Last summer a Royal Navy warship was forced to scramble two Russian submarines as they sailed into the North Sea.
British submarine hunter HMS Portland was on watch as cruise missile submarine Severodvinsk and Akula-class attack submarine Vepr made their underwater journey south, along the Norwegian coast from the Arctic.
