The Royal Navy has disclosed three operations carried out over 17 days to monitor Russian vessels around Britain, including an intelligence-gathering ship watched closely as it followed NATO warships off Scotland.

Scotland operation

Merlin helicopters were sent at short notice from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall to Glasgow Prestwick Airport under Operation Iceblast. Between 29 September and 8 October, they used onboard sensors to track the Vishnya-class ship Viktor Leonov around the Outer Hebrides. The Royal Navy said the vessel was closely monitoring warships taking part in Exercise Strike Warrior, a Royal Navy-led NATO exercise involving more than 2,000 personnel from six nations. The deployment also tested how quickly the helicopter force could set up away from its home base.

Channel operations

Further south, the destroyer HMS Dauntless and the patrol ship HMS Tyne monitored the Russian frigate Neustrashimy from 1 to 14 October as it escorted sanctioned cargo ships through the English Channel. HMS Tyne then handed that task to HMS Dauntless so it could follow a second vessel, the landing ship Aleksandr Shabalin, between 11 and 14 October, supported by a Wildcat helicopter. The Navy linked the escort work to wider efforts against sanctions evasion at sea.

The operations were announced on 2 November. No claim is made that the Russian vessels interfered with the exercise; the accounts describe observation and sustained tracking by British forces.

Sources: Army Recognition, 2 November 2026; Internewscast, 2 November 2026, both reporting the Royal Navy announcement.