Royal Navy warships and helicopters shadowed five Russian vessels through UK waters during the first week of July, maintaining constant surveillance as part of ongoing efforts to protect national security.
Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke, patrol ship HMS Tyne and Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron deployed on three separate operations between July 1 and July 8. The operations monitored two Steregushchiy-class corvettes, a tanker, bulk carrier and a Smolnyy-class training ship as they transited through the North Sea and English Channel.
The sustained surveillance operations form part of the government’s Plan for Change commitment to safeguarding UK territorial waters. Ships worked closely with NATO allies throughout the week-long deployment, highlighting the Royal Navy’s critical role in maritime security.
“It is great to be back at sea protecting the UK’s territorial Seas and Critical National Infrastructure,” said Commander David Armstrong, HMS Iron Duke’s Commanding Officer. The frigate recently completed a three-month planned maintenance period in Devonport, returning to front-line duties after intensive patrols across UK waters, the Baltic Sea and Norway.
Three Distinct Operations
The first activation saw HMS Tyne and HMS Iron Duke track the Smolnyy-class training ship heading west from the North Sea through the English Channel to northwest France before handing over monitoring duties to a NATO ally. The ships were immediately re-tasked to return to the North Sea.
HMS Tyne then reported on movements of Steregushchiy-class corvette RFS Boikiy, accompanied by Russian tanker General Skobelev and bulk carrier MV Sparta. Iron Duke and a Wildcat helicopter tracked Boikiy – which had been monitored just two weeks earlier by HMS Duncan and HMS Mersey – and the accompanying vessels until they reached Ushant at the southwestern end of the Channel on the French coast.
Following a brief logistics stop in Portsmouth, Iron Duke returned to action for a third operation. The frigate intercepted RFS Soobrazitelny as the Steregushchiy-class corvette made her way back from the Eastern Mediterranean through the Channel and into the North Sea en route to a Russian Baltic port.
Historic Operational Tempo
“Being our 17th activation as Fleet Ready Escort in 12 months, I reflect on the professionalism, resilience and stoic sense of duty on constant display,” Commander Armstrong noted. The operational tempo represents one of the busiest periods for the Type 23 frigate since she was commissioned in 1993.
The intensive week of operations coincided with Exercise Sea Breeze 2025-2, where Iron Duke briefly participated alongside a dozen allied and partner navies. The exercise, co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine in Portland, focused on mine countermeasure techniques to address underwater threats in Black Sea waters.
Four Ukrainian Navy minehunters – Melitopol, Mariupol, Cherkasy and Chernihiv – participated in the exercise. The latter two vessels are former Royal Navy Sandown-class minehunters transferred to Ukraine under the UK/Ukraine/Norway Maritime Capability Coalition programme announced in December 2023.
Protecting the sovereignty of the UK and our NATO allies is at the heart of the Royal Navy’s mission,” Commander Armstrong emphasized. The coordinated response demonstrates the seamless integration between UK forces and NATO partners in monitoring Russian naval movements.
Enhanced Defence Commitment
The operations occurred as the UK government reaffirmed its commitment to defence spending. In February 2025, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, with an ambition to reach 3% during the next parliament.
We are in a new era of insecurity that requires a generational response,” the Prime Minister stated when announcing the spending increase. The government also updated the definition of defence spending to include security and intelligence agencies, bringing total defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027.
This represents the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, according to government officials. The additional funding amounts to £13.4 billion more per year by 2027/28 compared to current levels.
Continuing Vigilance
HMS Iron Duke’s involvement in shadowing Russian vessels has become routine, with the frigate activated multiple times throughout 2024 and into 2025. In November 2024, Iron Duke and tanker RFA Tideforce monitored the Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate Admiral Golovko, oceanographic research vessel Yantar and tanker Vyazma as they passed through the Dover Strait.
The Royal Navy maintains constant readiness to respond to Russian naval activity near UK waters. Russian vessels retain the right of innocent passage through international waters, but UK forces ensure continuous monitoring throughout their transit.
As a Type 23 Duke Class frigate originally designed to hunt Soviet submarines during the Cold War, HMS Iron Duke has evolved to meet contemporary maritime security challenges. The ship carries advanced sensors and weapons systems, including a Wildcat helicopter capable of anti-submarine and anti-surface operations.
The sustained operational tempo highlights the ongoing requirement for Royal Navy vessels to maintain vigilance in home waters while balancing commitments to NATO operations and international exercises.
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