British Navy monitoring Russian warship in English channel

Portsmouth-based minehunter HMS Hurworth keeps watch over frigate Admiral Makarov

The 4,000-tonne Admiral Grigorovich frigate joined the Russian Fleet at the end of last year, the Navy said (Royal Navy)

A Royal Navy boat has been deployed to monitor a Russian warship sailing the English Channel.

Portsmouth-based minehunter HMS Hurworth was keeping watch over Russian frigate Admiral Makarov as it passed the UK on Wednesday.

Russian warships in the Channel have become a frequent occurrence in recent months, although the Ministry of Defence has declined to comment on the exact number of incidents.

The department did say patrol ships the HMS Mersey, destroyer HMS Diamond and frigate Montrose had all been involved in observation activities in the past two months.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Philip Jones, who is the Head of the Royal Navy, said in May Britain was facing “significantly emboldened Russian Naval activity, which is continually testing our resolve”.

The 4,000-tonne Admiral Grigorovich frigate joined the Russian Fleet at the end of last year, the Navy said.

HMS Diamond monitored two Russian warships earlier in August, while in January, HMS Westminster was sent to monitor four Russian vessels as they passed close to British waters.

It comes amid heightened tensions between Theresa May's government and Vladmir Putin's administration in Russia, with the UK imposing sanctions over the attempted assassination of the former MI6 double agent and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury in March, which it has suggested the Kremlin was behind.