[BITList] Shadowing the Russians !

[michael J Feltham]

Russian ‘Admiral Kuznetsov’ carrier gets familiar welcome on return journey through English Channel

Royal Air Force (RAF) jets and a Royal Navy warship have escorted the Russian aircraft carrier ‘ADMIRAL KUZNETSOV’ as it passed through the English Channel on its way back to northern Russia. A squadron of RAF Typhoon aircraft joined ‘HMS ST ALBANS’ for the mission, which involved watching the Soviet-era ‘KUZNETSOV’ as it passed through Britain’s ‘area of interest.’Russia’s only carrier , capable of transporting more than 40 naval aircraft, is on its way back from the Mediterranean Sea, where it was involved in operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria. The Royal Navy operation to monitor the Russian fleet of warships as it sailed through the English Channel last year cost taxpayers £1.4 million ($1.76 million). The ‘Admiral Kuznetsov,’ a Soviet-era aircraft carrier that can carry more than 50 planes, passed by the coast of southeast England along with seven other vessels last October.A Royal Navy destroyer and frigate were scrambled in response and escorted the fleet as it sailed enroute to Syria, despite the service facing a budget shortfall of £500 million.Figures obtained by Portsmouth News through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request reveal the operation cost British taxpayers £1,394,000, including man hours and fuel. source: Russia Today 
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