UK warship tails Chinese flotilla headed for Russia

The UK has scrambled one of its warships to shadow a Chinese flotilla passing through the English Channel to join Russian naval forces for a joint military drill in the Baltic Sea.

The Royal Navy sent over the HMS Richmond frigate over the weekend to watch a trio of Chinese warships as they steamed through the Strait of Dover, the Telegraph reported Wednesday.

The Chinese vessels then sailed across the North Sea, where they were closely watched by Dutch vessels.

According to a report by the state-run Chinese daily Global Times, leading the flotilla was the 052D, China’s “most advanced guided-missile destroyer,” which was commissioned two years ago.

Accompanying it were the missile frigate Yuncheng and the Luoma Lake supply ship.

The Chinese warships were on their way to the naval base of Baltiysk in Russia’s Kaliningrad region, where they would carry out their first ever maneuvers in the strategic waters off Russia’s coast.

Codenamed Joint Sea 2017, the week-long war game will begin on Friday and feature ten warships and an equal number of fighter jets and aircraft.

The Chinese and Russian naval forces held similar drills in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad last month, continuing a trend that began in 2012.

This year’s drills revolve around “joint rescue efforts and protecting cargo vessels,” according to Chinese military officials.

SS