A Royal Navy warship has shadowed a Russian submarine through the English Channel.

HMS Somerset located the Kilo-class Krasnodar vessel off the east coast of the UK on Friday morning.

The Plymouth-based Type 23 frigate then followed it through the Strait of Dover over the weekend.

Commander Tim Berry, who is in charge HMS Somerset, said: "Policing the sea both in home waters and further afield is core business for the Royal Navy.

"Escorting foreign warships, in this case a Russian submarine, through UK waters is just part of our ongoing effort to protect our island nation."


Somerset's sister ship HMS Sutherland also escorted two Russian warships as they sailed close to UK waters lat month.

Image: Steregushchiy-class warship Boiky was one of two ships followed last month. Pic: file

The ships' weapons include a 4.5in main gun that can fire 40kg shells more than a dozen miles away, and a Hapoon missile than travels at Mach 0.9 and can hit targets at a distance of 80 miles.

RAF jets are also often scrambled to watch Russian military planes that fly close to UK airspace.

In February, Typhoons were deployed from Lossiemouth in Scotland and Coningsby in Lincolnshire to monitor two nuclear-capable Tupolev TU-160 Blackjack bombers