HMS York scrambled to Scotland in security scare as Russian fleet comes within 30 miles of Britain for the first time in 20

[The Hero]

HMS York scrambled to Scotland in security scare as Russian fleet comes within 30 miles of Britain for the first time in 20 years

​

Russian crews 'blamed bad weather' for having to approach British waters
SNP accuse Russians of dumping waste into the sea while moored off coast

​

​

A Royal Navy destroyer was scrambled to Scotland in a major security scare after a Russian aircraft carrier came within 30 miles of British shores for the first time in 20 years.
HMS York travelled around 1,000 miles from Portsmouth to keep watch as the 65,000 tonne Admiral Kuznetsov and a number of other battleships anchored on the edge of UK waters.
Today the Scottish National Party accused the Russians of dumping waste into the water while moored off the coast at Moray Firth on Monday.
Scroll down for video

Scare: HMS York keeps watch as the Admiral Kuznetsov anchors just outside British waters off the coast at Moray Firth, Scotland, on Monday

Scrambled: British warship sent 1,000 miles to intercept Russian vessel

The vessels did not warn British authorities they were going to come so close to the coast and are thought to have blamed bad weather for having to approach.
They are believed to be still in the area today while they avoid poor sea conditions but are no longer anchored.
Previously defence chiefs would have scrambled Nimrod aircraft from RAF Kinloss in Moray but because the basehas been scrapped in cutbacks and a new fleet of planes cancelled, the Navy had no choice but to send HMS York.
Although the Russian fleet was outside UK waters it was within the exclusive economic zone which Britain has the sole rights to exploit.
The Admiral Kuznetsov is en route to the Mediterranean from its northern base at Severomorsk for exerciseswith the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: 'The Admiral Kuznetsov, with other warships and support vessels, is thought to be en route to the Mediterranean on exercise.
'Theaircraft carrier anchored outside British territorial waters some 30 miles off the Moray Firth where she was thought to have taken advantage of the relative shelter to avoid the worst of current bad weather in theNorth Sea.'

Westminster SNP leader and Defence spokesman Angus Robertson has condemned the 'marine fly-tipping' and is asking the British Government what it has done about the incident.

Mr Robertson said: 'Given the bad weather conditions the Russian vessels are very welcome to shelter off the Scottish coast, but it is more than bad manners to dispose of waste by simply throwing it overboard.

'This is in contravention of agreements and normal practice and I think we need answers from the Russian and UK Governments.
[h=3]'SCRAMBLE! SCRAMBLE!': RAF JETS AND ROYAL NAVY FACE REGULAR 'THREAT' FROM RUSSIANS[/h]
Although two decades may have passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Britain faces a new Russian threat as Vladimir Putin flexes his military muscle.
RAF Tornadoes are regularly scrambled to intercept supersonic invaders approaching UK airspace.

In 2009 alone, jets were sent up 20 times to repel Russian warplanes. After a gap of 15 years, Putin resumed the intrusions in 2007.
On one occasion, an eight-strong force was detected heading this way from the Barents Sea.
They're not infringing any law while they stay in international airspace, but they cannot be ignored.
However, until now the false battle has been consigned skies. The Admiral Kuznetsov was the first Russian vessel to get so close to British shores for 20 years.
British military aircraft are on standby 24 hours a day and can be scrambled in minutes to respond to threats.



'Have the appropriate authorities been informed? What was disposed of? Why was it not done properly?'

In a series of parliamentary questions Mr Robertson is asking the UK Government about the incident.
Hewrote: 'Will the Ministry of Defence confirm that Russian personnel aboard the Admiral Kuznetsov have been observed disposing of waste into the sea off the Scottish coast?'

'Was the UK National Maritime Intelligence Centre informed about the waste disposal?

'Has the Scottish Government and Marine Scotland been informed about the incident by National Maritime Intelligence Centre?'
A Royal Navy spokesman added that Russia was 'almost certainly' acting in accordance with international rules.

He said: 'Russia is signed up to the International Maritime Organisation's maritime pollution rules, of which they are very strict followers. If they are doing it, it's almost certainly in accordance with the regulations and is most likely going to be low-level food waste.'

Althoughaircraft carriers have not got so close to British waters for 20 years,jets have been scrambled to intercept Russian planes.
RAF Tornadoes have been sent up 20 times in 2009 alone after the foreign aircraft got close to British airspace.

Air interception: An RAF Leuchars Tornado F3 (top) escorts a Russian Bear Foxtrot plane in 2007 after eight Russian military aircraft which were approaching British airspace

​