The two Russian warships intercepted in Balearic waters headed for the Galician coast

According to the Ministry of Defense, after the first detection in the Mediterranean, the patrol vessel Centinela sailed on the afternoon of Sunday, October 15, towards the northern border with Portugal to «locate» and «track» the two Russian naval units which were in transit to their home port in the Baltic.

Defense explains that «despite the harsh weather conditions and the lack of visibility», the two Russian vessels were located on the afternoon of October 17 near the border. The Sentinel followed from that moment its course towards the northern limit of the Spanish exclusive economic zone and then, on October 18, after the «presence and tracking objectives were met» the patrol vessel returned to its home port in Ferrol. The two Russian ships had already been accompanied by the maritime action vessel Rayo on its passage through the Mediterranean, according to Defense.

According to Efe, «for this surveillance operation, the Sentinel, belonging to the Navy's maritime action force, based at the Ferrol arsenal, was integrated into the operational command under the control of the operations command,» the note said. The main mission of this ship includes surveillance and maritime security operations in areas of sovereignty and national interest. The presence, surveillance and deterrence operations are an effective tool to maintain a surveillance of the sovereignty spaces, which allows the early detection of threats and facilitates an immediate and viable response to a potential crisis, explains the Ministry.