Russian warship ‘passed through English Channel in disguise'
The corvette Boikiy, which has guided missiles and mounted machine guns, is said to have broadcast a fake ID signal as it travelled through the Channel on Saturday.
It is not the first time this year the warship has entered British waters after being tracked in March making its way through the Channel and North Sea.
This time, it reportedly travelled alongside two oil tankers, the Sierra and the Naxos, which are part of Russia's shadow fleet, a network of tankers that transport sanctioned Russian oil using deceptive practices.
Using military ships as protection has been viewed as an attempt by Moscow to deter the UK and other Nato states from seizing shadow fleet vessels.
Last month, a Russian shadow Kilo-class submarine, Krasnodar, was detected in the Channel, forcing the Navy to deploy HMS Tyne to track it. That came just two weeks after HMS St Albans and HMS Mersey shadowed Russian vessels through the Channel in a separate incident.
At the same time, the number of Russian oil tankers passing through the Channel has almost doubled since London sanctioned Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, according to data analysis by The Telegraph.
Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior research scientist at the Centre for Naval Analyses, told the BBC: 'The action seems designed to deter the UK and other Nato states from attempting to board and, or, seize these vessels, since the presence of a military escort heightens the risk of confrontation and further escalation.'
BBC Verify, the broadcaster's fact-checking unit, said the Boikiy did not activate its tracking systems when it departed from Conakry, the capital of Guinea, in West Africa earlier this month.
The ship reportedly failed to activate its automatic identification system (AIS), which alerts fellow seafarers and coastal authorities of its location, route and other safety-related information to aid safe passage at sea.
Generic identification number
Instead, it is said to have travelled under a generic identification number 400000000, which made it wrongly appear on tracking sites as previous vessels to have used that ID.
Verify, which used satellite imagery, tracking data, and video footage to identify the warship, said it passed near the Canary Islands before meeting the two shadow tankers at the mouth of the Channel on June 20.
The Royal Navy is reported to have shadowed the Boikiy as it then passed through the Channel towards the Baltic Sea. Webcam footage later appeared to show the warship passing underneath the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark.
Frederik Van Lokeren, an analyst and former officer in the Belgian navy, said it was unusual for a Russian warship to disguise itself.
'Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal,' he said. 'So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
11 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Officers considering legal action against Police Scotland over Trump visit plans
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents 98% of all police officers in Scotland, said the force has already breached health and safety standards in the run up to the visit by the US president. Thousands of officers are expected to be involved in what Police Scotland has described as a 'significant policing operation'. The White House confirmed Mr Trump will visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire between July 25 and 29. He will meet the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the First Minister John Swinney during his private trip. The visit is likely to result in widespread protests, following similar demonstrations during his last visit to Scotland. David Kennedy, general secretary of the SPF, suggested planning for the visit has already put officers at risk. He said: 'We currently have workforce agreements in place to protect police officers and provide minimum standards of Health and Safety at work. 'Sadly, we have seen these agreements breached in the days leading to the arrival of Potus (President of the United States) and as such we are seeking legal advice regarding potential legal action against the service.' Speaking to STV News, Mr Kennedy said he had 'major concerns' about the plans to police Mr Trump's trip. He told the broadcaster: 'We do not have enough police officers in Scotland. 'Anyone that says we do, I don't know where they get those figures from. 'We know what police officers have to do day in, day out and we need more officers in Scotland. 'When these events come along that puts those officers that are here under so much pressure.' Police Scotland said earlier this month it would seek help from the Scottish and UK Governments over the 'considerable' cost of policing the visit. It has also asked for support from Northern Ireland's police force, the PSNI. There had been speculation the King would host the American leader in Scotland after a meeting was suggested at Balmoral or Dumfries House, in a letter he wrote to Mr Trump in February inviting him to make the state visit. But it is understood that both sides will wait until the president's official state visit later this year. Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said: 'We are working closely with the Scottish Police Federation to address any concerns they may have.' A spokesperson for the PSNI said: 'There are well established processes for any UK-based police services to request support from other services at times of peak demand. 'These requests are managed via the National Police Co-ordination Centre (NPoCC) and we can confirm that PSNI have received a request to provide mutual aid to Police Scotland which we are currently assessing. 'The decision to provide officers under the mutual aid process will be considered against our own demands, ensuring that we retain the capacity to respond effectively to local issues and maintain our own operational competence.'
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Woman allegedly murdered by ex-fiance at hotel ‘owed him £100,000', court told
A man accused of murdering his ex-fiancee at a luxury hotel has claimed in court that she owed him about £100,000 at the time of her death. Samantha Mickleburgh, from Axminster, Devon, was found dead at the Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot, Surrey, on the morning of April 14 last year. The mother of two, 54, had arranged to stay in a twin room with her ex-fiance, James Cartwright, the night before, because she 'didn't want him to feel lonely' on his birthday, a trial at Guildford Crown Court previously heard. Cartwright called 999 at about 8.30am on April 14 claiming he had discovered the lifeless body of Ms Mickleburgh lying next to him in bed. While giving evidence on Monday, Cartwright told the court that Ms Mickleburgh purchased a property to fix up and collected the keys in early March 2023. They were 'very close' at the time and, in April that year, he lent her £30,000 to fund the development, he told jurors. She planned to get a mortgage once it was habitable and repay him 'but (the money) ended up running out quite quickly', he added. She received a mortgage in July that year and they started to live together at the property, the court heard. By that point Ms Mickleburgh owed him between £40,000 and £50,000, he said. At the time of her death this had increased to about £100,000, he told the jury. The defendant said he proposed to Ms Mickleburgh on a beach in autumn 2023, which was met with 'an immediate and emphatic yes'. 'Everything (was) extremely amicable and friendly and loving' during the holiday, he added. Three days after returning, he noticed a 'highly sexual' WhatsApp message from her former partner on her phone home screen. Cartwright, who wore a dark suit to his trial, told jurors: 'I was deeply shocked and very upset and very hurt.' Martin Rutherford, defending Cartwright, asked if he explained his feelings to Ms Mickleburgh during the incident on October 2. The defendant said: 'Yes, I did, it went not well – Samantha was very embarrassed that I'd seen it and read it and stormed out of the house without any sort of explanation and response, which I was even more upset about. 'She got into her car. It was clear that she was going to drive away. I pulled (the gate) to prevent the car from leaving. 'She chose to drive through the gate and onto the road, so I had to put myself in front of the car to stop her leaving, because the gate hadn't worked.' He told the court 'I was very embarrassed by my behaviour, I had overreacted' and said he had apologised to Ms Mickleburgh. The relationship then started to decline, he said. At the end of October, he saw a WhatsApp message on her laptop from the same man, the court heard. 'There were a very large quantity of messages and they were highly sexually explicit between both of them – it wasn't just one-way traffic, it was both ways,' he said. 'Again, I was absolutely devastated', he said, adding that it had damaged his trust in her. They continued to live with each other until February 2024 and were physically intimate during that time, he said. He again found messages between Ms Mickleburgh and her ex-partner around two weeks before he moved out. Cartwright told the court: 'I chose a different tack and, this time, I didn't disclose to Samantha that I had seen them. I suppose, if I'm honest, I wanted to catch her out. 'I asked her when she'd last had contact with him and she said 'oh, towards October last year – she hadn't heard anything from him since'. 'It was almost terminal on my part, I just couldn't get beyond it.' He said on February 17 2024, Ms Mickleburgh 'told me that she was really struggling, she had an awful lot of things going on in her life, different pressures, with family, looking for work'. He said he had offered to move out into a commercial space in Axminister that he had access to. Days after moving out, he downloaded the dating app Bumble and started messaging two women. He told jurors he was 'just looking for companionship, friendship'. He told one woman, whom he had not yet met in person, about his upcoming birthday dinner with his then fiancee who he said had been the 'love of my life'. In texts read to the court, he said: 'I'm not planning it, she is. It has the feel of a final farewell.' He told jurors that he sent this because he 'was uncharacteristically pessimistic about the outcome' of the dinner. Another message said 'it could go any way… the last goodbye'. The defendant said he had been married and divorced three times and had three adult daughters. Cartwright, 61, of no fixed address, denies raping and murdering Ms Mickleburgh between April 12 and April 14 last year. He also denies one count of controlling and coercive behaviour between May 1 2022 and April 14 2024. The trial continues.
Telegraph
12 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Police union threatens legal action over Trump visit
The chief constable of Police Scotland has been threatened with legal action ahead of a visit by Donald Trump. The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents more than 16,000 officers, alleged on Monday that workforce agreements to protect the rank and file from working 12-hour shifts had been breached. It said its lawyers had been instructed to examine potential legal action against Police Scotland after some officers were allegedly told they were expected to work 12-hour shifts for up to 10 consecutive days ahead of Mr Trump's visit on Friday. The federation said it had workforce agreements in place to protect officers and provide minimum standards of health and safety at work. It follows warnings by David Threadgold, the SPF chairman, that all officers in Scotland could be affected by the presidential visit, with some expected to work 12-hour shifts, posing a 'challenge' for how they eat, sleep and rest. On Monday, David Kennedy, general secretary of the federation, revealed that two police officers from the north-east who were due to marry this weekend had been told they would have to work. The couple, who have been planning their wedding for a year, have lodged an official request for 'excusal' from duty. Mr Kennedy said he expected the request to be granted but pointed out that police colleagues due to attend as wedding guests would unlikely be able to do so. 'We currently have workforce agreements in place to protect police officers and provide minimum standards of health and safety at work,' Mr Kennedy said. 'Sadly, we have seen these agreements breached in the days leading to the arrival of Potus and as such we are seeking legal advice regarding potential legal action against the service.' Mr Trump is expected to touch down at Prestwick airport on Friday and visit both of his golf courses in Scotland, Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire, between July 25 and July 29. The president will meet Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, in Aberdeen, while plans are being put in place for Mr Trump to meet John Swinney, the First Minister, according to the Scottish Government. Strict airspace restrictions will also be in place over Mr Trump's inaugural Scottish golf resort as part of a vast security operation. Police Scotland has asked for Northern Irish officers to assist and has submitted a mutual aid request to the Police Service of Northern Ireland for additional officers. Police forces usually make requests ahead of large operations or when their resources are stretched. Mr Kennedy added: 'So, there's two agreements running. We reached an agreement to cover it, and they then have reneged on that agreement and breached our current force agreement that covers everybody. 'The breach of the agreement won't stop the policing of the event, but what it's to do with is how officers are paid and how they're remunerated for any work that takes place during the president's arrival and time here.' Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond of Police Scotland said: 'We are working closely with the Scottish Police Federation to address any concerns they may have.'
