Russian naval ship sailed through English Channel with disguised identity

The corvette left port without activating its Automatic Identification System (AIS). All ships are expected to broadcast the signal, though military vessels often sail without it.

However, a vessel travelling under the generic identification number 400000000 - a code sometimes used by vessels who want to alert others to their presence for safety reasons without identifying themselves - was seen briefly near the Canary Islands.

The location is consistent with the time it could have taken the Boikiy to travel the 200km from Conakry. Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify showed a 100m-long ship, matching the dimensions of the Boikiy and distinguishing it from other vessels which had used the ID.

Frederik Van Lokeren - an analyst and ex-lieutenant in the Belgian navy - noted that the Boikiy's actions were unusual for a Russian naval vessel.

\"Normally, if the Russians want to remain hidden in secret, they just turn off their AIS signal,\" he said. \"So for them to be camouflaging as something else… it's very, very uncommon.\"

The Boikiy was later joined by two oil tankers which had made their way from India through the Suez Canal and across the Mediterranean - the Sierra and the Naxos. Both ships have been sanctioned by the UK.

The three vessels all met at the mouth of the Channel on 20 June. Here, the Russian naval vessel appeared again in radar-based and optical satellite images, allowing us to confirm once again that it was a size and shape which matched the Boikiy.

The Naxos had reached the entrance to the Channel several days earlier than the other ships, and waited for the warship before proceeding into the channel.

A UK defence ministry source confirmed to BBC Verify that the Royal Navy shadowed the Boikiy as it passed through the Channel.

Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify appeared to show a ship tailing the Boikiy as it transited through the waterway, but we cannot confirm that this is the Royal Navy ship.

According to the source: BBC.