A Russian warship conducted a live-fire weapons exercise approximately 40 nautical miles off the UK coast, the British Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
The artillery exercise took place Monday in international waters south of Plymouth and lasted approximately 30 minutes, according to Sky News.
The Russian vessel was shadowed throughout the maneuver by the Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tyne.
Before beginning the exercise, the Russian warship informed HMS Tyne of its intention to conduct gunnery activity and asked the British vessel to move to a safer distance. HMS Tyne complied with the request.
“A Russian naval vessel shadowed by the Royal Navy conducted a live-fire weapons exercise in international waters approximately 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth yesterday (Monday),” a spokesperson of the UK Defense Ministry said.
“The Royal Navy monitored that exercise throughout, continues to track the vessel’s activity closely, and stands ready to protect UK national security,” the spokesperson added.