Independent Naval Analyst H.I. Sutton stated that a fleet of Russian Navy ships entered the Irish Sea on August 30. The vessels were expected to sail up and around the United Kingdom, which would have brought them dangerously close to the Submarine base of Faslane.
The group was led by SLAVA-class Cruiser Marshal Ustinov, a sister-ship of now sunken Moskva. According to Sutton, it was accompanied by Udaloy-class destroyer Vice Admiral Kulalov and a tanker Vyazma.
The incident came just after the US Navy’s destroyers of the Ticonderoga-class set sail in the disputed Taiwan Strait for its “Freedom of Navigation Operations.” However, while the US Naval operations in the region are customary, Russian vessels usually take the English Channel route or the west coast of Ireland to avoid locking horns with the Royal Navy.
Shortly after it was first spotted, the group was shadowed by the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, following which it reportedly took a U-turn. The Royal Navy Duke-class frigate HMS Lancaster intercepted the warships amid concerns they were preparing to transit through the Irish Sea between UK and Ireland.
After operating in the Mediterranean Sea since early February, RTS Marshal Ustinov (055) passed through the Strait of Gibraltar last week. According to Sutton, Russia has limited facilities in the Mediterranean and cannot maintain individual vessels there indefinitely.
According to images posted by ship spotters, the Russian cruiser was followed two hours after it passed the Rock of Gibraltar by the USS Cole (DDG-67) and USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), two US guided-missile destroyers that are part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, USNI reported.
The Russian vessel’s transit to the Irish Sea is unprecedented as it would have led it to sail between the UK and Ireland, both of which remain marred in tensions due to post-Brexit disagreements.
Earlier in January, Russia reportedly planned naval drills within the Ireland Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). However, the Irish Foreign Minister said the drills were “not welcome” or “wanted right now” at the time due to a massive Russian build-up along Ukraine’s borders and fears of an impending invasion.
At the time, Russia had withdrawn its plans to conduct drills off the Irish coast. However, its unexpected voyage to sail through the Irish Sea near the United Kingdom is being seen as provocative due to recent tensions between the UK MoD and Russia and the former’s mammoth military support to Ukraine.
Russian state media threatened to destroy the United Kingdom with its Sarmat ICBM not long ago. On the other hand, the UK Ministry of Defense has been bringing about new anti-Russian military narratives every other week.
I don’t think this will be the last time Russia attempts transit through the Irish sea and this incident will make China happy because some western Countries would know how it feels to be harassed by a foreign power in your backyard. UK has been a strong supporter of the war in Ukraine and UK and the US are the reasons why the war is still going.
UK has also been a strong supporter of the US transit through the Taiwan strait just a few km from China citing international law even though China has been protesting such passages as provocations.
The UK once great maritime power, has increasingly found itself having to depend on US Navy power for protection but this time the UK may find itself alone due to so many problems facing Joe Biden’s administration at home as we head for elections in November this year.
The UK can’t also fight a war at this time due to political chaos at home and increasing inflation, the economy is not doing well and most of its weapons except nuclear weapons have been sent to Ukraine where they were destroyed by Russia.
Source: Eurasian times and Forsige Asia.