A Russian warship and two bombers strayed close to UK territory yesterday in yet another apparent attempt to test Britain’s defences. A destroyer equipped with missiles, anti-aircraft guns and torpedoes entered the English Channel along with two other Russian ships. It forced the UK to send a heavily-armed frigate to monitor the vessels. A map showing the how jets were launched from RAF Lossiemouth yesterday, shortly after HMS Argyll was deployed to monitor a Russian destroyer and two other ships as they passed through the English Channel . Just a few hours later, two Russian long-range Bear bombers, capable of carrying nuclear missiles, hugged British airspace – prompting the RAF to deploy two Typhoon fighter jets. Sources claim both incidents may have been an attempt to ‘snoop’ on a huge Nato war games exercise taking place in Scotland. Even though Russian military inspectors were invited to attend the show of strength, the timing raised suspicions that Vladimir Putin was using access to the site to test UK reaction times. It later emerged that the Russians had actually been at the Typhoons’ base at RAF Lossiemouth when the warplanes were scrambled. No explanation: Experts said Russian President Vladimir Putin's move to send planes capable of carrying cruise missiles so close to British shores could be seen as an act of aggression . Two Typhoon jets from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, pictured in 2012, to escort the Russian planes . Under watch: The Royal Navy monitored a Russian Udaloy class destroyer (not pictured) along with a tanker and a support ship as they passed through the English Channel . The Russian aircraft are believed to be 'Bear' bombers that were first shadowed by Norwegian air force jets before they approached British airspace (stock image) April 2014 - A Russian fighter plane makes repeated passes of American warship the USS Cook in the Black Sea. If armed the ship's commander could have targeted the aircraft in self defence . June 2014 - HMS Montrose was sent to monitor a Russian corvette in international waters near Denmark's Baltic coast. The frigate was then circle by a Russian maritime patrol craft . October 2014 - RAF Typhoons intercepted a Russian Bear aircraft over the North Sea and Russian warships pass through the Channel escorted by the Navy . October 30, 2014 - 26 Russian bombers, tankers and fighter jets on military exercises are intercepted around Europe in just 24 hours. Jets are scrambled by the RAF and allies in Germany, Portugal and Turkey after the 'unusual' spike in activity, which saw two giant Tu-95 Bear H bombers fly close to Britain . November 2014 - HMS Argyll monitors a heavily armed Russian warship as it strayed close to the UK while passing through the English Channel and Strait of Dover . January 2015 - Typhoons were dispatched from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to intercept two Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear missiles as they flew south of Bournemouth . February 17, 2015 - HMS Argyll intercepts a Neustrashimy-class warship and its accompanying tanker as they headed home after a deployment in the Mediterranean in the English Channel . February 19, 2015 - Two RAF Typhoon jets scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire to escort two Russian bombers in international airspace off the coast of Cornwall. April 2015 - Royal Navy's HMS Argyll monitors Russian Udaloy class destroyer Severomorsk along with a tanker and a support ship as they move through the English Channel. The incursions are the latest in a long line of apparent tests by Moscow as tensions between Britain and Russia rise. The Nato naval operation – Exercise Joint Warrior – was aimed at encouraging Mr Putin to calm his recent aggression toward the UK. But Sir Michael Graydon, former head of the RAF, said the Kremlin was using Cold War tactics to ‘snoop’ on the exercise and called for higher defence spending to defeat a ‘resurgent’ Russia. He said: ‘This is a classic return to the 70s and 80s when every exercise conducted by Nato was snooped on. ‘We’ve trumpeted the fact we are holding such a large exercise and the fact they are snooping on it doesn’t surprise me at all.’ He added that Britain should spend more on defence: ‘Our capability to deal with these sorts of threats is diminishing because we don’t have the manpower... we need resilience.’ A source added: ‘It may be that they are observing the military exercise being held off the coast of Scotland.’ Under a European treaty, the Ministry of Defence were forced to accept an inspection by Russian experts and they arrived in Scotland on Monday. Yesterday the destroyer Severomorsk, a tanker and a support ship returning from the Mediterranean were intercepted by the Royal Navy as they passed through the Channel. Plymouth-based HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate with a crew of 185, was sent to monitor the vessels. A source said the Russians may ‘poke their noses in at the exercise off Scotland’ before heading home. An RAF spokesman said the two Bear bombers, which flew off the north-east coast of Scotland hours later, were escorted away. More than 100 Russian aircraft were intercepted last year, three times more than during the whole of 2013. In November a four-strong Russian flotilla sailed through the Channel and earlier this year two Bears flew south of Bournemouth. HMS Argyle, a Type 23 frigate, which is currently monitoring three Russian ships as they head through the English Channel (file picture) The Russian navy anti-submarine ship Severomorsk which is being monitored through the English Channel with a tanker and a support ship (file picture)
RAF jets escorted two Russian military aircraft close to UK airspace . The Typhoons were scrambled from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland . HMS Argyle also monitoring three Russian ships in English Channel . It comes at a time of heightened tension between Britain and Russia .