Russia puts British warship HMS Trent under ‘constant tracking’ as it enters the Black Sea

Russia is ‘constantly tracking’ a British warship on patrol in the flashpoint Black Sea, the defence ministry in Moscow has announced.

HMS Trent sailed through the Dardanelles and Bosporus on Sunday amid high tension over the Kremlin’s intentions in eastern Ukraine.  

Despite planning to track the Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel’s every move, it posed ‘no serious threat’ to the Russians according to former Black Sea Fleet commander Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov.

‘I would not even say that the British [navy] would be able to tickle our nerves,’ he told Interfax. ‘Maybe, only the heel, a little.’  

Despite mocking the British arrival, he said the vessel would be constantly monitored in the Black Sea where it can remain for up to 21 days under international agreements.

‘If a serious ship enters the Black Sea, and there is an immediate threat, then you can track it with weapons, as target designations are issued to coastal missile systems and aircraft, which are on duty,’ said Komoyedov.

The British warship is sailing to Odessa where it will work with NATO and regional partners to support security and stability in the region. 

The Russian National Defence Control Centre confirmed it was tracking the Royal Navy vessel.

‘The forces of the Black Sea Fleet have started tracking the movements of the British Navy patrol ship HMS Trent, which entered the Black Sea on 16 May 2021,’ it said in a statement.

Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian naval staff, said the Trent would be ‘met’ near the Bosporus Strait and monitored using ‘radio equipment’, according to Interfax.

‘Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are constantly nearby until foreign naval ships leave the area,’ said the news agency report citing Kravchencko.

‘Of course, this is unpleasant. You will have to be distracted, keep an eye on them; what are they going to do in the Black Sea,’ said Kravchenko.

Last month there were reports Britain would send a Type 45 destroyer and a Type 23 frigate to the Black Sea in May.  

IRAF F-35B Lightning stealth jets and Merlin submarine-hunting helicopters would stand ready on the Mediterranean task group’s flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, according to the reports.

The Gibraltar-based HMS Trent’s arrival follows the US Coast Guard patrol ship Hamilton in the Black Sea.

In recent days, the Russians also said they were tracking French Navy patrol vessel Commandant Birot. Over three days the Russian military said its fighter jets were scrambled to shadow French Air Force aircraft over the Black Sea. 

Last month, Russia massed troops on the Ukrainian border and carried out huge military drills in Crimea involving 10,000 soldiers, 40 warships and 200 planes. Russia has since pulled back some troops. 

However, there is still concern in the West over Vladimir Putin’s intentions in Ukraine and considerable forces and equipment remain in the area.

The Kerch strait between the Black Sea and the Avoz Sea and an area of coastline on the Crimean Peninsula remain closed to foreign warships after they were shuttered amid heightened tensions last month.  

Vladimir Putin escalated fears of a possible Russian invasion by ordering the blockade of the strategically important Kerch Strait in mid-April.

Russian warships moved into position to control the strait on April 16, cutting off sea access to Ukraine’s south-eastern coastline and eastern Crimea.

The Kremlin confirmed all foreign and Ukrainian military vessels will be forbidden to sail from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov until mid-October, although commercial vessels will not be affected.

Russia released a video demonstrating a show of strength, including the guided missile carrier ‘Moskva’ to coincide with Black Sea Fleet day on May 13.