General-Skobelev

An incident bordering on open confrontation occurred in the English Channel on Jany 23. British and Dutch warships, supported by a helicopter, approached the 'General Skobelev' and were preparing to seize it. The official justification was sanctions and restrictions, but it was in fact an attempt to forcibly impede the free passage of a vessel carrying Russian oil. At the point of contact with the 'General Skobelev', the Russian corvette 'Boykiy' approached. British River-class patrol boats engaged the Russian formation along with the HMS 'Mersey' and HMS 'Severn', the Dutch ship DSS 'Galatée', and a Royal Air Force helicopter. The mere presence of the corvette and the intention to land an inspection and assault group made the attempt to capture the tanker extremely risky. The situation was finally resolved after a radio message from a Russian ship with extremely clear terms: “Any attempt at piracy will have very unpleasant consequences.” After that, the British and Dutch ships simply escorted the tanker to the latitude of the Netherlands and took no active action,

For the second time in a short period, the Royal Netherlands Navy has escorted Russian vessels passing the Netherlands via the North Sea. The patrol vessel 'DSS Galatea' escorted the 'General Skobolev' and the frigate 'Boiky' of the Steregushchy class on Jan 21, 2026. The frigate frequently accompanies Russian vessels through EEZ waters. Both vessels had entered Dutch waters from the south. The Navy was keeping a close eye on them until they leave the Dutch part of the European Exclusive Zone (EEZ). Allies then took over. The 'General Skobolev' was part of a convoy transporting fuel and logistical supplies for Russian military activities in the Mediterranean. The ship is on sanctions lists of several countries and is prohibited from docking in European ports. The Spanish BAM 'Audaz' and the offshore patrol vessel 'Centinela' monitored the two Russian ships while sailing in the eastern Mediterranean and off the Galician coast last week. The 'Audaz', deployed in the Alboran Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar since December, also monitored the Russian destroyer 'Severomorsk' during its transit towards the eastern Mediterranean, before joining 'Boikiy' and the 'General Skobele', during the voyage towards the Atlantic after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar. Days later, these Russian-flagged vessels were sighted entering the Galician coast, and from that point on, they were monitored by the 'Centinela' until they entered French waters. Report with photo: https://www.europapress.es/seguridad-y-defensa/noticia-buque-audaz-patrullero-centinela-vigilan-tres-barcos-rusos-transitaban-aguas-espanolas-20260121142842.html

Since their expulsion from their naval base in Tartus, with the probably unforeseen longevity of the closure of the Bosphorus to naval traffic, the Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean has been small and fleeting at best, and sometimes entirely absent, for the first time since 1945. On Jan 15, the corvette RFS 'Boikiy (F532)' escorted the 'General Skobolev' and the tanker 'Kama' (IMO 8025915) westwards through the Strait of Gibraltar. Both tankers were fulfillling a military logistic support role, but in former days they sailed through the Mediterranean without escort. The ships had left Port Said with a declared destination of St. Petersburg. Prior to the recent convoy activity, the landing vessel 'Alexandr Ostrakovskiy (L031)' was in the Mediterranean briefly before heading through the Straits of Gibraltar on Jan 7 towards Equatorial Guinea. It has been some time since a Russian flotilla - now bereft of support from Tartus - has operated in the Mediterranean. The last major deployment to attract NATO attention was the presence in the Mediterranean for several months of the Kilo Class submarine RFS 'Novorossiysk (B261)' which came to an end on Sep 18, 2025. The Russian Navy now evidently felt it was necessary to escort Russian-registered civilian vessels operating in the military support roles whilst they were in the Mediterranean. If shadow fleet tankers make it through the Black Sea, then the Ukrainians are now waiting for them in the Mediterranean.

The large Russian convoy was split in the Kattegat on Feb 17. While the "Aleksandr Otrakovskiy", the "Sparta" and the "General Skobelev" sailed through the Fehmarn Belt into the Baltic Sea, the "Ivan Gren" and the "Sparta II" were still waiting off Skagen. For days, the Russian units have been observed and accompanied by NATO units on their voyage. In the Fehmarn Belt, the Federal Police were on site with the patrol ship "Neustadt" together with the Danish Navy. The passage through the narrow waters of the Fehmarn Belt was closely monitored. There were no incidents as the Russian units strictly adhered to the traffic regulations. The corvette "Erfurt" took over the escort off Gedser. The Air Force also sent a Tornado jet from Jagel to the Kattegat on Jan 17 for reconnaissance.

The Royal Netherlands Navy escorted the Russian convoy, consisting of the landing ships 'Alexandr Otrakovsky' of the Ropucha class and 'Ivan Gren of the Ivan Gren class, the supply ship 'Yelnya' of the Altay class, the ' General Skobelev' and the transport ships 'Sparta' and 'Sparta II', through the Dutch Exclusive Economic Zone during the weekend of Feb 15/16. After the passage, other NATO partners took over the escort. The Dutch navy had deployed the Zr.Ms. 'Johan de Witt' for the escort. The on-board helicopter NH90 was also used. The escort was not only to be vigilant, but also to be able to intervene in suspicious actions or disruptions. In this way, the defence protects the critical infrastructure under water. Report with photo: https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2025/02/16/marine-escorteert-russische-taakgroep-van-6-schepen-op-noordzee

On Feb 13 a number Russian ships carrying military equipment was entering the English Channel, among them the 'Sparta', 'Sparta 2' and 'General Skobelev' and the oiler 'Yelnya', the cargo ships carrying military equipment from Syria, where the country was forced to close its naval base following the recent fall of dictator Bashar al Assad. Both ships are owned by Oboronlogistika LLC, a company that operates on behalf of the Russian Ministry of Defence. In 2022, the US government sanctioned both vessels. While passing through the strait, they have been closely shadowed by the British naval vessel RFA 'Tideforce', which began tailing the ships on Feb 12. the Russian Naval ships RFS 'Aleksandr Otrakovskiy', and 'RFS Ivan Gren', both Ropucha class ship, which are armed and designed to facilitate beach landings, accompanied the 'Sparta' and 'Sparta 2'. Also the HMS 'Iron Duke', HMS 'Tyne', and a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron reported on every move of the ships, RFS Aleksandr Otrakovskiy and , and merchant vessels Sparta, Sparta II and Reports with photo and video: https://news.sky.com/story/russian-ships-filmed-carrying-military-hardware-through-the-english-channel-13309518 https://www.forcesnews.com/services/navy/watch-footage-hms-iron-duke-shadowing-russian-task-group-english-channel