Russian Frigate Holds Live-Fire Drill off Plymouth

A Russian warship, shadowed by a Royal Navy vessel, carried out a live-fire artillery exercise about 46 miles (74km) south of Plymouth on Monday, UK officials said. The Royal Navy monitored the activity and is “tracking the vessel’s activity closely”, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said.

Notice Given Before Gunnery

The BBC was told that the Russian frigate Neustrashimy, also known as Dauntless, informed the Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Tyne before it opened fire, stating it intended to carry out gunnery activity.

The live-fire exercise took place in international waters and lasted for 30 minutes. The Russian ship asked HMS Tyne to reposition to a safer distance, and it complied.

The Kremlin said the drill was conducted in line with international law and played down any suggestion it was politically linked to changes in the UK government.

Kremlin Response and UK Criticism

Newly appointed Defence Secretary Wes Streeting criticised the exercise, saying it was “performative and irresponsible”.

The Kremlin has signalled there was no connection between the exercise and Andy Burnham becoming prime minister. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told BBC News: “All [military] exercises and all actions undertaken by our warships are carried out in strict compliance with international and maritime law.”

He added: “Therefore, there is no need to see any signals in this,” referring to reports of broader meaning being attached to the timing.

Peskov nevertheless said Burnham had sent signals to Russia, saying the new prime minister had declared “unconditional support for Ukraine” and the UK’s intention to continue backing the war.

Streeting said Russia should be “in no doubt” about the resolve of the new government. UK defence sources did not comment on whether the incident might have been timed to coincide with the start of Burnham’s premiership.

Air and Sea Monitoring Near the Channel

The BBC was also told that the Russian frigate was monitored by a French military aircraft that made radio contact, asking the warship to clarify its intentions.

BBC Verify analysed flight and ship-tracking data showing HMS Tyne and several UK aircraft operating in and around the Channel near Plymouth on Monday.

Flight data on ADS-B Exchange indicated at least four Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft flew off the Dorset coast, mostly above UK territorial waters, including two Eurofighter Typhoons, a Voyager air refuelling tanker and a Super Lynx helicopter. A French military H160M Guépard helicopter also flew in the afternoon, though it was not clear if it was the aircraft that contacted the Russian warship.

Ship-tracking data from MarineTraffic showed HMS Tyne began broadcasting its location about 40 miles off Plymouth at 13:57 BST and remained there for around two hours before departing at 15:56 to return to Plymouth.

HMS Tyne has been tracking Neustrashimy since at least 16 July, when both vessels were captured together in the North Sea about 36 miles from the port of Felixstowe, Suffolk, on satellite imagery.

The incident comes amid recent reminders for the new prime minister of increased Russian naval activity near UK waters. Last month, Royal Marine Commandos boarded a Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker in the English Channel in a six-hour operation, described as the first of its kind by UK armed forces. In June, a British couple, Jane and Alan Kelvey, encountered the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich about 23 miles off the Isle of Wight, after Russia’s defence ministry said they had made a “dangerous approach”. The couple said they had not been on a collision course.

Retired Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe said on BBC Radio 4 that it was “very unusual” to conduct a gunnery exercise so close to the south coast, even if such activity is allowed. He added that, apart from warning HMS Tyne, he believed the Russian vessel did not take additional safety measures before firing a 100mm cannon, noting the potential for ricochets and the challenge of predicting their path in a busy shipping lane.

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22 July 2026