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British warship tracks Russian frigate in North Sea — UK Defense Ministry

The UK frigate joined the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel Bergen as it followed the Russian ships in the Norwegian Sea

LONDON, January 11. /TASS/. British frigate HMS Portland is tracking the movements of the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the tanker Kama as they sail in international waters of the North Sea, the UK Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Portland with her specialist Merlin helicopter embarked - both equipped with cutting-edge sonars, sensors and torpedoes for specialist operations - is tracking and reporting on the movements of the Russian ships through the North Sea," the ministry said in a statement.

Escorting warships is routine activity for the Royal Navy, according to the statement. The UK frigate joined the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel Bergen as it followed the Russian ships in the Norwegian Sea.

The cutting-edge frigate Admiral Gorshkov armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles repelled a notional enemy air attack during drills in the Norwegian Sea, the Northern Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday. The naval task force composed of the frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the medium sea tanker Kama is carrying out its combat patrols under the command of Northern Fleet Missile Ships Division Commander Captain 1st Rank Oleg Gladky.

President Putin said at the Defense Ministry’s enlarged board meeting on December 21, 2022 that the frigate would be deployed to sea in early January to embark on combat patrols with the world’s unrivaled Tsirkon seaborne hypersonic missile systems. Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the time that the frigate was gearing up for its combat patrols in an unplanned area in the World Ocean.

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