The Russian destroyer “Vice Admiral Kulakov” was intercepted and escorted by a ship of the Royal Navy of Great Britain while passing through the North Sea. This is the first time in history that a British warship has acted on direct orders from the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), reports Sky News.
“Vice Admiral Kulakov” was moving through the English Channel, and its movements were monitored for more than 48 hours. The British destroyer HMS Duncan was deployed for the operation, acting on orders from NATO Naval Command. A Type 45 destroyer and a Wildcat helicopter were involved in the surveillance, which were urgently dispatched to carry out the task.
“This is the first time a Royal Navy warship has been tasked directly by alliance command to carry out such an operation, a Royal Navy spokesman said,” — the report says.
The surveillance operation lasted from Friday, October 17, to Sunday, October 19. NH90 helicopters from the Netherlands Air Force and the French Navy also took part in it. The UK Minister for the Armed Forces, Al Carnes, commented on the incident, stating that the British Navy is ready to respond to any potential threats from Russian ships.
“Vice Admiral Kulakov” — a large anti-submarine ship of Project 1155, named after the Soviet naval commander and Vice Admiral Nikolai Kulakov. In NATO classification, it belongs to the “Udaloy”-class destroyers.
The ship was commissioned in 1981. In September 2011, it conducted the first landing tests of the Ka-52K helicopter. Currently, “Vice Admiral Kulakov” is part of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy.
