The Diplomat
Two Navy vessels have been monitoring the transit of a Russian group of ships through Spanish territorial waters for a week to ensure their journey from the Eastern Mediterranean to their final destination in northern Russian ports, reports Europa Press.
The frigate ‘Santa María’ and the offshore patrol vessel ‘Serviola’ have been responsible for monitoring the transit of the Russian grouping made up of the frigate ‘Almirante Grigorovich’, the corvettes ‘Stoiky’ and ‘Sobrazitelny’ and the light supply ship ‘Kama’.
First, the frigate ‘Santa Maria’ tracked the vessel in the eastern Mediterranean until it entered Portuguese waters, and then the offshore patrol vessel ‘Serviola’ monitored the sea.
For three days, the frigate ‘Santa María’ tracked these Russian units in close coordination with units from NATO’s Permanent Naval Force No. 2 and the Portuguese Navy.
Subsequently, and following the departure of the Russian naval grouping from Portugal’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the offshore patrol vessel ‘Serviola’ continued to monitor the Russian vessels, taking over from the Portuguese frigate ‘Corte Real’ to continue tracking and monitoring them in the Cantabrian Sea until they left waters of national interest.
