Two Russian submarines have been tracked by a Royal Navy warship in the North Sea, it has been revealed.
British submarine hunter HMS Portland, equipped with sonar and torpedoes, shadowed the submarines after they surfaced separately northwest of Bergen, Norway.
A Navy spokesman said the pair – the cruise missile submarine Severodvinsk and the Akula Vepr-class attack submarine – were tracked as they made their underwater journey south along the coast.
He said they “reported on the movements” of ships from the Russian Northern Fleet along with one of the RAF’s new long-range maritime patrol aircraft, the P8 Poseidon.
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The Type 23 frigate shadowed the submarines as they surfaced separately, before NATO and Baltic forces took over follow-on duties as they continued to St Petersburg for Day celebrations the Russian Navy on July 31.
The commanding officer of HMS Portland, Commander Tim Leeder, said these operations play a “strategically crucial role”, adding that the “cohesion of the Royal Navy, the RAF and the capabilities of our allies” ensures that “we capable of conducting and maintaining this type of anti-submarine warfare.” operations in the North Atlantic”.
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Image: Ukrainian soldiers receive training at a facility in the UK. Image: © Mod Crown
Ukrainians receive mine clearance training
Royal Navy sailors are currently training the Ukrainian navy in the operation of two Sandown-class minesweepers, which will be sold to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Volodymyr Havrylov met UK Armed Forces Minister James Heappey and MPs in London before visiting soldiers and sailors training in Scotland.
Ministers spoke to Royal Navy trainees and instructors, watching them practice key skills at sea, such as weapons drills and damage control, as they learn to operate the ships’ machinery.
Heappey said: “The intensity with which Ukrainian soldiers and sailors train is something to behold.
“They work with the focus of troops that they know will be fighting a war in a few weeks.
“Delivering training to match this intensity and focus is not simple.
“The British Royal Navy and Army are working long hours and drawing on all their operational experience to ensure that their new Ukrainian friends are sent into combat with the best chance of victory.”
The Sandown-class minesweepers, which were introduced to the Royal Navy in the late 1980s, specialize in finding and neutralizing mines in deep water.
The program is part of the training provided by 1,000 UK service personnel at military posts across the country with the aim of preparing volunteer recruits with the skills for frontline combat.