The Royal Navy intercepted two Russian warships off the Kent coast and shadowed their passage close to UK waters.

HMS Severn headed off RFN Stoikiy, a corvette, and a tanker called Yelnya, which sailed through the Straits of Dover into the English Channel.

The action took place in the last fortnight, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed today.

After intercepting the vessels, HMS Severn handed monitoring duties over to a Nato ally off the Brittany coast in France.

The MoD said she "continued to observe from a distance and remained ready to respond to any unexpected activity".

The ministry added that the UK's armed forces are on patrol "from the English Channel to the High North" amid increased Russian activity close to UK waters.

It comes after Russian spy ship Yantar was seen off

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