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UK warship tracks Russian submarine on NATO mission
9 May 2025
A UK warship has tracked a Russian submarine in the Channel – as part of a NATO mission to shadow Russian vessels.
Ensuring the UK’s waters are secure, and the public protected, the Portsmouth-based HMS Tyne was deployed as part of a wider NATO operation to shadow Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar as it made its surfaced journey back to Russia from the eastern Mediterranean.
The mission comes two weeks after HMS St Albans and HMS Mersey separately shadowed Russian vessels through the channel.
It follows the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP to protect working people and deliver on the foundation of our Plan for Change.
The threat posed by Russia is expected to be high on the agenda at the leaders meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force, which the Prime Minister is attending, in Oslo today. JEF leaders are expected to discuss further protections to the UK and Euro-Atlantic critical national infrastructure.
Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said: “The Royal Navy has once again demonstrated its readiness to secure UK waters and protect the public.
“Our sailors acted swiftly and decisively to a potential Russian threat, and I pay tribute to their dedication, courage and professionalism.
“National security is a foundation of the Government’s Plan for Change and we are giving our Armed Forces what they need to keep us secure home and strong abroad.”
HMS Tyne’s Operations Officer, Lieutenant Bailey Denyer said: “Activations like the one we’ve seen on this patrol to track Krasnodar are our bread and butter – defending UK sovereignty and that of our NATO allies is at the very heart of what the Royal Navy does.”
HMS Tyne recently returned to sea following maintenance and takes her place alongside her sister ships, HMS Mersey and Severn, at the forefront of operations protecting UK waters.
The patrol vessel intercepted Krasnodar on entry to the English Channel near the French coast, reporting on every move as it made its eastward journey before handing over duties to allies as the submarine left UK waters.
Earlier in its journey, Krasnodar was tracked by a Royal Navy Wildcat helicopter of 815 Naval Air Squadron deployed with the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) in the Atlantic.
Once responsibility for Krasnodar had been handed over, HMS Tyne was quickly back on new tasking to shadow Russian Steregushchiy-class corvette Boikiy as it headed westward from the Baltic Sea, through the busy Dover Strait.
Tyne and 815 Naval Air Squadron later monitored the corvette’s return journey to the Baltic alongside three merchant ships.
The UK’s CSG is led by flagship HMS Prince of Wales and is currently operating alongside allies and partners in the Mediterranean before continuing to the Indo Pacific.