Britain's Royal Navy monitored a Russian warship, the Admiral Grigorovich, continuously throughout April as it sailed from the Atlantic into the North Sea, escorting at least six Russia-linked vessels — including three under economic sanctions — through the Dover Strait. The frigate resupplied near the Galloper windfarm off the Suffolk coast (off eastern England) to sustain its extended presence, while a second Russian frigate, the Admiral Kasatonov, also passed through the Channel escorting merchant ships believed to be bound for the Russian-operated naval base at Tartus, Syria. The deployments are seen as Moscow's response to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's March announcement that Britain would move against shadow-fleet tankers — poorly maintained vessels sailing under flags of convenience to circumvent sanctions on Russian oil exports — with security analysts warning that the presence of armed escorts makes it significantly harder for European nations to intercept or seize such vessels.