A Royal Navy patrol vessel has shadowed a Russian warship as it sailed through the English Channel amid heightened tensions with Moscow. HMS Mersey was on security patrol when it was scrambled to track the Steregushchiy-class corvette RFS Boiky, after taking over from the French Navy. Portsmouth-based Mersey 'watched every movement' as the corvette linked up with RFS Akademik Pashin, an auxiliary vessel, to refuel and transfer stores. HMS Mersey - - A river-class offshore patrol vessel that weighs 1,700 tonnes, is 260ft long, and sails at 20 knots (23mph). The Royal Navy has tracked Russian ships in the Channel as relations between Moscow and London deteriorate to their worst since the end of the Cold War.

Source: Daily Mail April 30, 2020 17:37 UTC