A RUSSIAN warship was caught by the Navy spying on Britain’s missile defences.
It was found lurking near the Outer Hebrides during Nato live fire tests on shooting down a Russian-style missile.
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The Yuri Ivanov, a so-called Russian research ship, was trying to watch the exercise, known as Formidable Shield.
The drills involved HMS Dragon, one of the Navy’s most powerful warships, firing a £1million Sea Viper missile at a target designed to simulate Moscow’s formidable hypersonic weapons.
The Navy hailed the test a “huge moment” as the Sea Viper obliterated the incoming missile.
Moments after the war games finished, HMS Dragon was ordered to hunt down Vladimir Putin’s spy ship.
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The Navy said: “HMS Dragon launched her Merlin helicopter to collect information until the Yuri Ivanov headed north towards its Arctic home.”
Separately two Navy minehunters, HMS Ledbury and HMS Hurworth, were scrambled in the Channel to shadow Russian corvette Stoikiy.
Lieutenant Commander James Bradshaw, captain of HMS Hurworth, said: “This was all in a day’s work for the ship’s company.”
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