Russian warships escort cargo ships through the English Channel

The Russian navy’s missile corvette Admiral Grigorovich on April 23 moved through the English Channel, also known as the English Channel, with the cargo ship Sparta, the oil tanker General Skobelev and the supply ship Akademik Pashin.

Newspaper Telegraph Britain said the Sparta, a vehicle believed to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” and used to transport military equipment to Syria, was believed to be on its way to Port Said in northern Egypt. The oil tanker General Skobelev in this group is also on the Western sanctions list.

Data from maritime tracking site Marine Traffic shows that the frigate Admiral Grigorovich is at the end of the formation, while the tanker General Skobelev is at the forefront.

Russia deployed warships to escort cargo ships through the strait after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month allowed the British military to pursue ships of Russia’s “shadow fleet”. This fleet is mainly used by Moscow to export oil around the world and circumvent sanctions issued by the West.

According to the British statement, the country’s special forces and law enforcement officers from the National Crime Prevention Agency can inspect the above ships. However, London has not yet conducted any operation, amid controversy over where captured ships will be taken and which part of the government will pay for the costs of managing these vehicles.

Telegraph said there were no British navy ships following the Russian fleet as they moved through the strait on the morning of April 23.

This is not the first time the Admiral Grigorovich escort ship has escorted ships through the English Channel. Telegraph reported on April 8 that Russia sent this warship to protect two oil ships passing through the strait between England and France. The British navy supply ship Tideforce followed the fleet, but took no action to intervene.

More than 100 ships belonging to the “shadow fleet” are said to have passed through the English Channel in the past month.

The Admiral Grigorovich corvette is the first in a series of 6 ships of Project 11356M, one of the most modern corvette classes in the Russian navy. The ship is designed for anti-ship, anti-submarine and fleet air defense missions, and can operate independently or in mixed warship squadrons.

The ship is 125 m long, 15 m wide, with a full load displacement of 4,035 tons. The ship is equipped with Oniks anti-ship missiles, Kalibr cruise missiles and Zircon hypersonic missiles, along with 100 mm gunboats, two AK-630 close-range defense systems (CIWS), torpedo tubes, anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons.