A Royal Navy warship was deployed to shadow a Russian submarine through the English Channel. HMS Iron Duke monitored Novorossiysk, a Kilo-class submarine, and Evgeny Churov, its supporting tug, as it passed through the Channel and the North Sea at the start of the month.

In a six-day operation with Nato allies, the Portsmouth-based frigate HMS Iron Duke tracked the Kilo-class submarine Novorossiysk and its supporting tug Evgeny Churov through the Dover Strait and into the Atlantic.

A BRITISH warship has been dispatched to the English Channel to stalk four Russian vessels including an attack submarine. And RAF jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian aircraft as tensions

Defence Secretary John Healey said the activities demonstrated the services’ commitment to protecting national security

The developments come at a point of heightened tension between Russia and Britain over Moscow's ongoing war in Ukraine and Britain's backing of Kyiv