Putin threatens Britain and France by staging war games in the English Channel with a hypersonic missile-armed frigate after Starmer and Macron pledged to support Ukraine for as long as necessary

Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-art frigate mocked Britain and France as it staged war games as it sailed through the English Channel on its maiden long-distance voyage.

The ultra-modern frigate Admiral Golovko of the Russian Northern Fleet is armed with hypersonic Tsirkon missiles.

These projectiles can travel about 900 km at a speed several times the speed of sound, making it virtually impossible for conventional air defense systems to shoot them down.

The warship, one of 10 planned for production as part of Russia’s Project 22350, left its Arctic home base in Severomorsk 11 days ago and sailed through the Barents Sea, Norwegian Sea and North Sea before setting course for the English Channel.

“The crew of the Admiral Golovko frigate of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy conducted exercises in the English Channel,” the Russian Defense Ministry television channel Zvezda said.

“The sailors practiced anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defense, and conducted a rescue operation with the help of Ka-27 helicopters.”

Footage showed the exercises as the ship sailed through the narrowest point of the busy sea lane between Britain and France, amid high tensions between Moscow and the West over Putin’s war on Ukraine.

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday pledged that their respective countries would support Ukraine for as long as necessary ‘to thwart Russia’s war of aggression’.

The ultra-modern frigate Admiral Golovko of the Russian Northern Fleet is armed with hypersonic Tsirkon missiles

The Golovko targets another ship during naval exercises

“The crew of the Admiral Golovko frigate of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy conducted exercises in the English Channel,” Russian Defense Ministry television channel Zvezda said.

‘The sailors practiced anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defense and carried out a rescue operation with the help of Ka-27 helicopters’

Previously, the warship had conducted exercises in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea, and covered 1,500 nautical miles on its first major mission

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) waves flanked by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as he arrives at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, November 11, 2024

The Russian Defense Ministry said of the Golovko exercises: “The combat crews of the frigate’s main command center are trained to disperse dangerous targets under the difficult conditions of intensive shipping in the strait.”

The war games included “anti-terrorist exercises” that involved fending off drones from the air and at sea from a “mock enemy,” Navy sources said.

The 130-metre-long Admiral Golovko has now passed through the English Channel and is ‘currently conducting missions in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean’.

Previously, the warship had conducted exercises in the Barents Sea, the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea, and traveled 1,500 nautical miles on its first major mission.

State news agency TASS said: “The main goals of the long-range deployment are to demonstrate the Russian flag and ensure Russian naval presence in operationally important areas of the World Ocean.”

The 5,400-ton Admiral Golovko joined the Navy in December and is the third frigate in the Project 22350 series.

In addition to Tsirkon, the frigate is armed with a 130 mm A-192 artillery system, a Redut air defense missile system, launchers for 16 Oniks or Kalibr-NK anti-ship missiles and a Paket-NK anti-submarine system.

Its deployment in the Channel comes less than two weeks after Vladimir Putin personally oversaw nuclear war exercises by Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces.

The main exercises stretched across Russia, with launches of Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the northwest to the Kura test range in Kamchatka in the far east.

A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is tested from the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov warned the West that the exercise should show how Russia could carry out a ‘massive nuclear attack’

The exercises stretched across Russia, with launches of Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the northwest (pictured) to the Kura test range in Kamchatka in the far east.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a plenary session of the 3rd National Healthcare Congress in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, October 29, 2024

Defense Minister Andrei Belousov warned the West that the exercise was intended to demonstrate how Russia could “conduct a massive nuclear strike by strategic strike forces in response to an enemy nuclear attack.”

Nuclear-powered submarines, a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system (ICBM) and two Tu-95MS bombers were involved in the Russian strategic nuclear deterrent exercises, according to Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who reported to Putin on the surprise exercise.

Putin previously stated that it was necessary to keep his strategic forces “constantly ready for battle” and praised the ability of Russia’s latest missiles to overcome air defense systems.

As Admiral Golovko staggered through the Channel, British Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron met in France for the Armistice Day commemoration.

Sir Keir was the first British Prime Minister to attend Armistice Day commemorations in France since Winston Churchill was hosted by General de Gaulle in 1944.

The couple met in Paris under the iconic Arc de Triomphe, where dozens of wreaths were touched by a milky light and the eternal flame flickered in honor of the sacrifices of unknown French soldiers who died in the first global conflict.

“I am honored to be in Paris to join President Macron in paying tribute to the fallen of the First World War who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today,” Starmer said.

His Defense Secretary John Healey told Sky News the ceremonies amounted to a reminder that “we can never take for granted the freedoms we enjoy in Europe.”

Following the Armistice Day commemorations, the two leaders shared conversations on a range of topics, including Ukraine.

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron today vowed to put Ukraine in the ‘strongest possible position’ during their talks following Donald Trump’s election victory

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron stand today in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Place de l’Etoile in Paris

The leaders jointly laid a wreath to mark the anniversary of Armistice Day

Starmer and Macron vowed to put Ukraine in the ‘strongest possible position’ after Donald Trump’s election victory.

The prime minister and president met in Paris amid growing fears that the US would withdraw support for Kiev and spark a possible trade war.

The reading of the discussions published by Downing Street was careful not to mention Mr Trump or America – but the two leaders will inevitably have discussed developments.

“The leaders began discussing the situation in Ukraine, including how best to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position as we enter winter,” No10 said.

‘On the Middle East, both underlined their deep concern about the situation in Gaza and Lebanon.

“They also reiterated the need for stability in the West Bank.”

The leaders also discussed the situation in the Channel, with Sir Keir desperately trying to get help from France to stop small boats from crossing.