LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The British Navy has intercepted Russian warship and tanker in the Dover Strait and English Channel.
It comes within a week of a Russian spy ship flashing lasers at pilots tracking it north of Scotland.
The UK Ministry of Defense said its armed forces are on patrol from the English Channel to the High North amid increased Russian activity threatening UK waters in recent weeks.
In the past fortnight, Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Severn intercepted Russian corvette RFN Stoikiy and tanker Yelnya off the UK coast, in a round-the-clock shadowing operation as the Russian vessels sailed through the Dover Strait and westward through the English Channel.
HMS Severn later handed over monitoring duties to a NATO ally off the coast of Brittany, but continued to observe from a distance and remained ready to respond to any unexpected activity.
HMS Severn's Commanding Officer Grant Dalgleish said, 'This tasking shows the value of our patrol ships and reinforces the Royal Navy's close liaison with our NATO allies in safeguarding the British people and protecting the internationally recognised waterways.'
This is the latest incident as the UK has seen a 30 percent increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters in the past two years.
Earlier this month, a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping undersea cables on the edge of UK waters directed light lasers at British pilots who were monitoring and tracking the vessel's move.
UK Defense Secretary John Healey warned that military options are ready to counter Russian threats.
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