In the past two weeks, the British Royal Navy intercepted two Russian naval vessels navigating the English Channel, according to a report from British media citing the U.K. Defense Ministry.

The vessels in question, the corvette RFN Stoikiy and the tanker Yelnya, both belonging to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, were heading west through the Dover Strait when HMS Severn, an offshore patrol vessel, began to track them.

Following the initial interception, control of monitoring was transferred to an unnamed NATO ally situated off the northwestern coast of France, as reported by the BBC.

The U.K. Defense Ministry stated that HMS Severn kept a close watch on the Russian ships “from a distance” and was prepared to respond to “any unforeseen activities.”

This encounter occurred against a backdrop described by British officials as a significant rise in Russian naval activities near the UK. Defense Secretary John Healey mentioned last week that such operations have increased by 30% over the last two years.

On Wednesday, Healey announced the deployment of a Royal Navy frigate and Royal Air Force aircraft to monitor the Russian vessel Yantar, located north of Scotland, accusing it of employing “deeply dangerous” lasers that interfere with RAF pilots.

In response, Russia’s Embassy in London repudiated these allegations as “provocative,” asserting that its ships operate lawfully in international waters and do not pose a threat to British security.

The embassy called on the British government to “refrain from taking destructive actions that would only worsen the crisis on the European continent.”

In light of recent events, Britain and other NATO nations have expressed increasing concern over potential risks that Russia might pose to critical offshore infrastructure, particularly following alleged sabotage of undersea telecommunications and power cables.