Russian frigate fired off the UK coast

Russian frigate Fearless performed Exercise shooting from a cannon about 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth. The maneuvers did not pose a threat to Britain, but provided Moscow with publicity disproportionate to the real capabilities of the ship.

In the article

Half an hour shooting under Royal Navy's eye

The exercises took place on 20 July in international waters. Prior to the start of the shooting, the Russians warned the crew following their HMS patrol. Tyne And they called the ship to a safe distance.

The British ship moved about five miles away, but still watched the frigate. Her actions were also followed by a French military aircraft whose crew established radio communication with the Russians. Practice Shooting with a 100 mm cannon took about 30 minutes.

There was no breach of British territorial waters. If the crew of the ship had properly warned other shipping participants, the very conduct of shooting in international waters was not a violation of the law.

However, the place was unusual. The Russians used sharp ammunition near the approach to the La Manche Canal, through which many merchant ships pass every day. British military sources have admitted that they do not remember similar exercises so close to the coast of the country.

Good term for politics, not necessarily for the fleet

The shooting coincided with Andy Burnham's first day of office as Prime Minister of Great Britain. The new defense minister Wes Streeting called the Russian action a demonstration and irresponsible.

However, there is no evidence that the exercise term was chosen specifically for a change in the British government. On the other hand, it can be said that the Russians have used the moment to make their presence public.

Sending a frigate at Plymouth forced Royal Navy to conduct observation, interested British media and sparked the reaction of the new Minister of Defence. From a political point of view, the Russian ship did its job even before giving up the first shot.

Ship remembering the end of the Soviet Union

Problem is, Fearless It is difficult to recognise as a symbol of the modern Russian fleet. The frigate of the 11540 project was designed still in the times of the Soviet Union and entered service in 1993.

In 2014, the ship went to Jantar shipyard in Kaliningrad. The renovation and modernization lasted nine years. The scope of the work included, in particular, repairing existing equipment and restoring the efficiency frigate. Some devices, communication system and combat management system were listed, but basic weapons remained unchanged.

An AK-100 cannon and an anti-aircraft missile system were tested during trials before the Baltic Fleet was reissued. These are solutions developed at the end of the Cold War.

The ship may continue to conduct patrols, escort ships and participate in activities requiring long sea presence. Against the background of modern frigate possibilities Fearless are clearly limited. The ship did not receive Uranus antiship missiles, and its anti-aircraft defense is based on systems developed back in the 1980s.

Russia did not show force, but presence

Practice Shooting off the UK coast was not preparation for the attack or testing of the British defence. It was primarily a demonstration of presence: a Russian ship appeared near Britain, used sharp ammunition and forced the Royal Navy to react.

Moscow has thus achieved a political effect disproportionate to the forces involved. The old frigate gave several cannon shots, and the information revolved around British media exactly on the day of the Prime Minister's change.

This is the most important conclusion of this events. Russian Polish Navy He doesn't have to send his state-of-the-art ship to the British coast. Sometimes it takes the right place, a well-chosen moment and a cannon that can still make a lot of noise.