Russian warship carries out rare live-fire exercise 45 miles off UK coast

New defence secretary Wes Streeting denounces drill by Neustrashimy as ‘performative and irresponsible’

A Russian warship fired its main cannon in a short notice test 45 miles south of Plymouth on Monday, the day Andy Burnham was appointed as prime minister.

The Neustrashimy suddenly announced it intended to fire its guns in the morning and requested that a British warship, which had been tracking it, retreat a couple of miles to a safe distance.

The patrol vessel HMS Tyne repositioned five miles away, allowing the Russian frigate to conduct a 30-minute firing drill at about 9.30am in international waters to the south of the UK.

Wes Streeting, on his first full day as UK defence secretary, described the incident as “performative and irresponsible”. “It’s the tip of the iceberg of the daily threats that this country faces and our allies face.”

Russian warships have been sailing around British waters for much of 2026. Last month another frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired warning shots within a few hundred metres of a couple on a British pleasure yacht, south of the Isle of Wight.

Conducting a live-fire exercise at short notice in international waters close to another country is a rare event and usually conducted with due notice. However, if proper safety warnings are given it is legal.

The 130-metre-long Neustrashimy is armed with a 100mm cannon capable of firing 50 rounds a minute at a range of 20km. It is also armed with anti-ship cruise missiles and has Gatling rotary machine guns as part of its air defence systems.

British defence sources said they could not remember the last time a Russian warship had test-fired so close to the UK. Firing exercises are usually conducted with particular care in the Channel, one of the world’s busiest commercial waterways.

The Neustrashimy arrived off the British coast earlier this month, replacing the Admiral Grigorovich which had been on an extended three-month deployment, typically in the Channel or the North Sea.

On Tuesday morning the Neustrashimy was sailing east of the Isle of Wight, and thought likely to be heading into the North Sea, where it may refuel. It is now being tracked by HMS Mersey, which has taken over shadowing responsibility from HMS Tyne.

Maritime tensions between the UK and Russia are heightened. A Russia-linked oil tanker was seized in the Channel by the Royal Marines last month , prompting warnings that there could be a Russian retaliation .

Russian warships have been used to escort some oil tankers, though at other times their presence is designed to be psychological and tie up UK naval resources in monitoring them.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said Russian warships always acted “in strict accordance” with international and maritime law. Asked whether the Russian government felt relations with the UK would improve under the new prime minister, Peskov said it had “no such hopes”.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “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.

“The Royal Navy monitored that exercise throughout, continues to track the vessel’s activity closely, and stands ready to protect UK national security.”