Western Europe

The Russian ships, which included destroyer RFN Severomorsk, landing ship RFN Alexander Shabalin, and two transport ships, MV Sparta IV and MV Siyanie Severa, were sailing east towards the Baltic Sea. This comes after the Royal Navy began an operation on 16 March 2025 after tanker Tidesurge had monitored the destroyer in the North Sea and through the Strait of Dover. HMS Somerset and her Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron then began shadowing Russian task group's e