Russian warship conducts live-fire drill 45 miles off UK coast: Is it legal?

In a strange turn of events, a Russian warship requested the British frigate, which has been tracking it, to relocate to a safe distance because it wanted to conduct a live fire drill.

The exercise was conducted on Monday, July 20, the day the United Kingdom (UK) welcomed its seventh prime minister in a decade. Andy Burnham took the helm of the government from his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer.

The Russian ship named Neustrashimy carried out the 30 minute live-fire-drill in the English Channel just 45 miles off the UK coast after HMS Tyne repositioned in international waters. 

This marks a rare and risky but legal incident, because if the frigate gives proper warning before carrying out a drill, it provides the exercise a legitimate cover.

The Royal Navy announced: “We monitored that exercise throughout, continued to track the vessel’s activity closely, and stand ready to protect UK national security."

Neustrashimy, the 3,800-ton and 425 feet long warship, is part of large frigates built for the Soviet Navy and are currently in service with the Russian Navy. It carries anti-ship cruise missiles, along with rotatory machine guns and a 100mm naval gun capable of firing 50 rounds in under 60 seconds.

It remains unclear what ammo was fired during the drill.