Royal Navy and RAF planes intercept Russian aircraft in UK waters 'to protect UK national security'

Alongside the warships, Typhoon fighter jets were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland yesterday to see off a pair of Tupolev Tu-142 reconnaissance planes.

The MoD confirmed the jets had been launched under Nato command - while at sea, the Royal Navy worked with the Canadian, French and Belgian navies to protect the alliance's waters.

In the Channel, the Iron Duke shadowed Putin's Kilo-class submarine Novorossiysk and its supporting tug Evgeny Churov until the pair were out of sight in the Atlantic.

The sub and its tug had been making their way down to the Dover Strait from the Baltic Sea - where they had been closely followed by Canada's HMCS Shawinigan until the Royal Navy took over the operation.

After heading out to sea, British ships handed the operation to the French, before heading back to the North Sea for a "near-carbon copy" routine with Russia's Steregushchiy-class corvette Stoiky and tanker MT Yaz as they escorted the second pair through the Channel.

The MoD said the Russian warships and support vessels were "closely monitored by UK forces to ensure they acted in a safe and non-threatening manner" - pointing to Russia's right of innocent passage as to why the four vessels were let through.

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Defence Secretary John Healey said: "This Government is committed to making the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

"Efforts by the Royal Navy and RAF over the last two weeks demonstrate their selfless commitment to protecting our national security.

"I'd like to thank those members of our armed forces who took part in this operation - their professionalism and skill was on full display while working seamlessly with our Nato allies to uphold international standards."

While HMS Iron Duke's Commanding Officer, David Armstrong, said: "These were the fourth and fifth such operations for HMS Iron Duke since we emerged from a period of intense training in July, and I am extremely proud of the professionalism and selfless dedication that my ship's company consistently display as they perform their duty.

"Maritime security operations of this nature are a fundamental capability of the Royal Navy, with the protection of our sovereign waters and critical national infrastructure a key focus."

The seamless operation in British waters and airspace comes at a rather more volatile time in Ukraine.

On Wednesday night, the Kremlin warned the UK and its allies that any decision to let Ukraine hit Russia with long-range Western missiles would deepen what it called the direct involvement of the US and Europe in the war - and would trigger a response from Moscow.

Rumours have been circulating over the use of British-made Storm Shadow or American ATACMS missiles to smash targets in Russia.

And Moscow suspects a US decision to let Kyiv fire such missiles across its border has already been taken - with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov threatening an "appropriate" response if Ukraine follows through.