A BRITISH warship has been dispatched to the English Channel to stalk four Russian vessels including an attack submarine.
And RAF jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian aircraft as tensions skyrocket between Putin and the West over Ukraine missile policy.
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HMS Iron Duke and HMS Tyne closely followed four ships as they trawled through British waters in the Channel and the North Sea.
And two Typhoon jets flew from Lossiemouth base on Wednesday to intercept a pair of Russian Tu-95 bombers approaching the UK.
In a joint six-day operation with Nato allies, HMS Iron Duke shadowed Kilo-class Russian sub Novorossiysk and RFS Stoiky through the Dover Strait and into the Atlantic.
It comes as Russian propaganda mouthpiece Dmitry Medvedev threatened to “sink” the UK with hypersonic missiles today.
The former Russian president dubbed UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy a liar today as he made the unsettling threat.
“Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has promised Ukraine 100 years of support,” he said.
“He is lying. So-called Ukraine will not last a quarter of that time.
“The island called Britain is likely to sink in the next few years. Our hypersonic missiles will help if necessary.”
His announcement came shortly before the FSB announced that it had kicked six British diplomats out of Russia for spying.
The British Foreign office confirmed they left the country weeks ago and rubbished the accusations as “baseless”.
Putin himself threatened World War Three when he said Nato would be engaging with Russia directly if the US and UK allow Ukraine to fire their Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles over enemy lines.
He said: “This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict… It would mean that Nato countries are at war with Russia.”
The recent rise in tensions follows indications that the US and UK are heading towards a significant shift in policy on Ukraine.
British PM Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden are holding crunch talks in Washington DC today to discuss allowing Kyiv to fire long-range missiles deep inside enemy territory.
The Royal Navy said today: “The RAF jets were launched under Nato command and worked closely with our partners to monitor the aircraft as they passed through international airspace.
“Our Typhoon fighters escorted the aircraft out of the UK’s Flight Information Region and at no time did the Russian aircraft enter UK sovereign airspace.”
Typhoon jets are part of the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert, with aircraft in Scotland and England always ready to spring into action and protect UK airspace.
The carefully-choreographed operation began in September when a Canadian warship was initially tasked with keeping an eye on the Russian sub.
It handed over monitoring duties to the Royal Navy as the Russian vessels approached the busy Dover Strait.
From there HMS Iron Duke ensured constant watch on the two vessels, using her many sensors including her Wildcat helicopter.
The submarine remained on the surface throughout the operation.
Once the Russian vessels had passed UK waters, HMS Iron Duke handed over shadowing duties to the French navy.
The shadowing is permitted under international law to ensure foreign ships act in a safe and non-threatening manner.
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