British navy says it escorted Russian warship through North Sea

LONDON, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- The British Royal Navy said Tuesday that its frigate had escorted a Russian warship as it passed through the North Sea waters.

The Royal Navy claimed in a statement that Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans was called upon to sail on Dec. 23 and keep watch on the new Russian warship Admiral Gorshkov as it passed close to British territorial waters.

The British Type 23 frigate remained at sea on Christmas Day to monitor the Russian frigate, keeping track of its activity in areas of national interest, the document said.

British Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said he will not hesitate to defend the country's waters.

The Royal Navy claimed the festive season "has seen an upsurge in Russian units transiting UK waters."

It said another of its warships, HMS Tyne, was also called to escort a different vessel, a Russian intelligence-gathering ship, through the North Sea and the English Channel on Christmas Eve.

Russia has not responded to the accusation, but the country's media reports said Admiral Gorshkov, a new guided-missile frigate, is still undergoing trials.

The convoys came days after British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson visited Moscow, which described the current state of Russian-British relations as "hardly satisfactory."

Relations between Britain and Russia have remained tense following the Ukrainian crisis. Bilateral ties have soured over the past years as the two countries have constantly accused each other of espionage. Enditem