A Russian warship, shadowed by a Royal Navy vessel, carried retired a live-fire artillery workout conscionable 40 nautical miles southbound of Plymouth connected Monday.
The Royal Navy monitored the workout and is continuing to "track the vessel's enactment closely", a Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said.
The Russian frigate, Neustrashimy, was besides being monitored by a French subject craft which made vigor interaction with the warship asking it to clarify its intentions, the BBC has been told.
Prior to opening fire, the BBC was besides told that the Russian warship informed the Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMS Tyne, of its volition to behaviour gunnery activity.
The Russian warship requested that that HMS Tyne reposition to a safer distance, which it did. The Russian live-fire workout took spot successful planetary waters and lasted for 30 minutes.
The incidental volition beryllium a reminder for the caller premier curate of accrued Russian naval enactment adjacent UK waters successful caller months. UK defence sources would not remark connected whether the incidental mightiness person been timed to coincide with the commencement of Andy Burnham's premiership.
Last month, Royal Marine Commandos boarded a Russian "shadow fleet" lipid tanker successful the English Channel successful a six-hour cognition which was the archetypal of its benignant by UK equipped forces.
Also successful June, a British mates successful planetary waters successful the English Channel came crossed a Russian warship - Admiral Grigorovich - 23 miles (37km) disconnected the Isle of Wight.
The frigate fired informing shots arsenic Jane and Alan Kelvey sailed their yacht connected what Russia's defence ministry said had been a "dangerous approach". However, the mates said they were "not connected a collision course".
Russian warships regularly walk done planetary waters successful the Channel, which are abstracted from UK and French territorial waters.
Additional reporting by Ella Kipling
English (US)·