Russian warships in English Channel 'to conduct anti-aircraft and anti-submarine military drills'

Northern Fleet vessels last reported to have entered the Channel in November

The flagship of Russia's Nothern Fleet, heavy nuclear missile cruiser 'Pyotr Veliky' (AFP/Getty Images)

Russian warships have entered the English Channel and are planning to conduct military drills near the coast of Britain, it has been reported.

As the ships passed through the Channel, the Ministry of Defence said RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled when Russian military planes were identified flying close to UK airspace.

Officials from the Russian Defence Ministry’s were quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying the warships belonged to Russia’s Northern Fleet, which sparked controversy with a similar move last November.

According to the official, the ships were to pass through the Channel on their way to holding anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defence drills in the northern Atlantic.

An RAF Eurofighter Typhoon, similar to the jets used that were scrambled as the Russian ships passed through the Channel (Getty) (Stephen Pond/Getty Images)

The vessels are being monitored by the MoD, which said they include the Udaloy class destroyer Severomorsk, a tanker and a support ship.

A spokesperson for the MoD said the Russian ships were being supervised during their passage by the HMS Argyll, and that it had witnessed no military drills being carried out.

It is not unusual for Russian ships to pass the British coast but the latest incident comes amid heightened international tensions.

And James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, said that while the Channel is a legitimate shipping lane “these things aren't done by accident”.

“Russia is trying to show it has got full spectrum capability warfare,” he said.

“It is not a prelude to war but it is a reminder that Russia likes to use - that it is a power to be reckoned with, not a fading power, which might be closer to the reality.”