The Navy stressed the tracking of the warship is standard practice (Picture: PA)
The Royal Navy said it is monitoring a Russian warship carrying hypersonic missiles which is sailing in international waters near the UK.
British warship HMS Portland, which is a Type 23 frigate, was yesterday tracking the Admiral Gorshkov frigate which is accompanied by the Kama tanker.
The vessel is armed with Zircon, or Tsirkon, hypersonic missiles which can reportedly reach up to 7,000mph.
It has previously been called ‘unstoppable’, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin adding the Zircon has ‘no analogues in any country in the world’.
But the Navy stressed the tracking of the warship is standard practice.
HMS Portland’s commanding officer Commander Ed Moss-Ward said: ‘Escorting warships in UK territorial waters and the adjacent sea areas is routine activity for the Royal Navy.
‘By maintaining a visible and persistent presence, the Royal Navy ensures compliance with maritime law and deters malign activity to protect our nation’s interests.
‘Escorting the Russian task group alongside forces from our NATO allies has demonstrated the UK’s commitment to the alliance and to maintaining maritime security.’
The HMS Portland, foreground, is seen tracking Admiral Gorshkov and its accompanying tanker Kama in the background in international waters close to the UK (Picture: PA)
The HMS Portland, background, was previously seen tracking Russian cruise missile submarine Severodvinsk, foreground, in July last year in the North Sea (Picture: PA)
The British warship joined the Norwegian vessel Bergen as the Russian ships moved south through the Norwegian Sea. The vessels will report on the movements of the ships through the North Sea.
HMS Portland departed its home port of Plymouth on Saturday for the patrol.
Russia said the purpose of its military exercise was to ‘test the air defence circuit, air and electronic lighting systems, anti-aircraft fire systems, tactical camouflage electronic warfare systems and air defence circuit control systems’.
Admiral Gorshkov is legally in international waters but the mission is very much a ‘show of strength’ amid Russia’s failing invasion of Ukraine.
A promo video from Zvezda TV, owned by the Russian defence ministry, showed the frigate ‘repelling a simulated enemy’s air strikes’ during its controversial trip.
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A map showing the movements of Admiral Gorshkov (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
A video of the warship’s mission was released by the Russian Defence Ministry (Picture: Reuters)
Missile tests are expected to be carried out from the ship at some point, but it is not known exactly when.
Moscow previously boasted the vessel is ‘the most dangerous enemy of surface ships in the world’s oceans’.
Captain Igor Krokhmal said: ‘No one will see the missile launch or its flight. They will only see when the missile hits the target.
‘A surface target, a coastal target. I don’t think there will be anything to counter this in the next few years.’
The Royal Navy said the HMS Portland underwent a major refit in 2021, adding it is proficient at hunting submarines and surface warfare.
The warship patrolled waters close to the UK for most of last year, and also visited Norway and Sweden.
It also worked with Nato allies on a submarine hunting exercise called Dynamic Mongoose in the North Atlantic.
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But the Navy stressed the tracking of the warship is standard practice.
