Ukraine could easily ‘destroy hundreds of tons of vital Russian weapons’ sailing through the English Channel

A heavily armed Russian warship and has been seen sailing through the English Channel and their crew manning machine guns could easily be “destroyed” by Ukraine.

The Russian warship is escorting a cargo ship called the Baltic Leader which was sanctioned by the US in 2022 for transporting weapons to Russia.

HMS Somerset from the Royal Navy and Belgian Navy vessel BNS Crocus followed the vessels on Monday it has been reported.

It is believed the cargo ship is carrying weapons picked up from the Syrian port of Tartus as Moscow are winding down operations since the former President Bashir al-Assad fled to Moscow.

The Royal Navy have carried out a three day operation to monitor the Russian ships as they pass through British waters.

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The Mirror reported, James Droxford, of the intelligence consultancy Droxford Maritime, said, “The recovered military hardware onboard Baltic Leader could be used to reinforce Russia’s combat capability in Ukraine, or to replenish military stocks in other key Russian military regions.

“Ukraine could destroy hundreds of tons of vital Russian military material in one go by attacking the ships and that’s a huge risk for Russia to take.

Commander Joel Roberts, Commanding Officer of HMS Somerset, said: “Somerset is well versed in the escort of Russian ships, having conducted these operations on a number of occasions.

“Great professionalism has been shown by the ship’s company to remain vigilant whilst operating in UK waters and integrating with our NATO Allies to monitor Russian activity around Europe.”

Joseph Byrne, senior analyst at the Open Source Centre, told the Times, “While it isn’t exactly clear what cargo the vessel is loading, Tartus is a port where Russia has been storing its military equipment, likely waiting for transport.

“Since mid-February we have seen a number of Russian flagged cargo vessels sail from Syria into the Mediterranean and through the English Channel.

“They have exhibited highly similar patterns of life, including switching off their transponders when entering Syrian waters and ports, not broadcasting their final destinations, and appearing to sail through the Channel with a military escort for protection.”