The Royal Navy has intercepted a Russian spy ship off the coast of Scotland after catching it ‘closely monitoring’ Nato war games.
Merlin helicopters were dispatched to track the intelligence-gathering vessel, which was found near the Outer Hebrides.
The Kremlin has escalated its activity in and around British waters this year, using warships, civilian vessels and fishing ships.
The Merlin helicopter force tracked Viktor Leonov, the Vishnya-class intelligence-gathering ship, as it sailed near the Outer Hebrides from September 29 to October 8, according to the Royal Navy.
The ship was spying on Nato warships taking part in Exercise Strike Warrior, a drill involving 2,000 personnel from six of
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