REAL LIFE BATTLESHIPS
Russian spies stalking British warships taking part in military drills in the Baltic Sea
A RUSSIAN spy ship has been keeping a close watch on the British-led military drills currently taking place in the Baltic Sea.
More than 4,000 troops, including 1,100 Royal Marines as well as 44 ships from seven countries are conducting wargames in the region, making it the largest Royal Navy deployment in the area for a century, and is being monitored by the Fodor Golovin.
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The British-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), made up of nine nations, has been close the Russian area of Kaliningrad since May and the deployment is due to end later this month.
The Task Group commander, Commodore James Parkin on board the HMS Albion, told : “We expected to see Russians having a look at this new organisation and they’ve come out and had a look at us. And we’ve looked at them looking at us.
“If I was going to expect a reaction, or more people being interested in us, it’s going to happen in the next few weeks. That’s what we’re looking out for and expecting and we welcome that as a sign of our ability to operate with friends”.
We expected to see Russians having a look at this new organisation and they’ve come out and had a look at us. And we’ve looked at them looking at us
Commodore James Parkin
Along with Britain, the JEF comprises Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark and The Netherland with the HQ in the UK.
The JEF is seen as “a force of friends… filling a hole in the security architecture of northern Europe between a national force and a Nato force that is only really obliged to act if you get unanimity from 30 countries [which is] hard to achieve at the best of times,” according to Parkin.
He added: “We are equipped, fuelled and armed to go on any operation, we don’t need to stop anywhere en route. I’ve got a full-fat warfighting capability.”
The JEF is seen as a loose association of countries, allowing countries to “plug in” to provide expertise where they can, if they wish.
'A FORCE OF FRIENDS'
Captain Peter Loughton, Commanding Officer of HMS Albion, said: “We’re not ignorant to the threats out here. We’re acutely aware that Russia has been building up its forces and asserting military power in recent years.
“It’s been building up weapons in Kaliningrad and elsewhere, but that’s the reason we’re here and why we’ve been working together, to demonstrate resolve and resilience and the ability to work together. We can be pretty confident of what we can deliver.
“The Russians have every right to be here just as we do, so there’s bound to be some interaction. It’s all been very safe and professional. We take as much interest in them as they do in us.”
Tensions between Russia and the West have been growing steadily over a number of years with Vladimir Putin growing Russia's military forces.
In November last year Russian cyber warriors jammed GPS location signals during huge Nato war games taking place in Norway, the country's Defence Ministry revealed today.
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Anglo-Russian relations have been especially frosty due to the attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.
At the recent G20 summit outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May told the Russian President that she held Russian intelligence agents responsible for the attack.
Mrs May warned: "There can only be a normalisation of our bilateral relationship if Russia stops the pattern of irresponsible activity that threatens the UK and its allies, such as the use of a deadly nerve agent on the streets of Salisbury."
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