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New UK defence minister calls Russia’s military exercise off the UK coast ‘irresponsible’

By Thomson Reuters Jul 21, 2026 | 8:56 AM

LONDON, July 21 (Reuters) – Britain’s new defence minister Wes Streeting on Tuesday ​said it was “irresponsible” ‌for Russia to have conducted a live-fire weapons exercise off the English coast.

“We should ‌see ​yesterday’s events as ⁠performative and irresponsible,” ⁠Streeting told reporters when asked about the incident.

“It’s not the first time ​that Russia has behaved like this, and ⁠frankly, it’s the ⁠tip of the ​iceberg of the daily threats ​that this country faces and ‌our allies face.”

Earlier, a government minster confirmed that a Russian naval ⁠vessel had conducted a “brief live-fire weapons exercise” in international waters approximately ⁠40 ‌nautical miles south ⁠of Plymouth in ​southwest ‌England. The minister said ​standard maritime ⁠safety procedures were followed during the drill.

(Reporting by Sam Tabahriti; writing by Muvija M; editing by ​William James)