A front view of the Admiral Grigorovich, a Russian Navy frigate, in 2016. The Admiral Grigorovich recently passed through the English Channel alongside other Russian vessels, with the Royal Navy monitoring it. (Russian Ministry of Defence)

The Royal Navy Tracked a Russian Navy Flotilla—for a Whole Month!

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The Russian vessels, including a frigate and support ships, are believed to be on their way to Russia’s naval base at Tartus after hastily evacuating it a year ago.

It was six years ago this month that the UK’s Royal Navy closely monitored the movements of a Russian Navy Steregushchiy-class corvette that lingered in the English Channel. That incident wasn’t an isolated event, as seven other Russian naval vessels had also slowly passed through the waterway en route to Syria. The movements of the Russian flotilla were carefully tracked by Royal Navy coastal patrol boats for several days.

Fast forward to spring 2026, and some of the same Royal Navy warships spent the past month tracking a new Russian Navy flotilla, including a frigate, merchant vessels, a support ship, and a submarine.

“Patrol ships HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, tanker RFA Tideforce and Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron tracked the Russian Navy’s Admiral Grigorovich throughout April,” the Royal Navy confirmed on Wednesday.

The British military’s senior service added that not........

© The National Interest