LONDON (Sputnik) — UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon made on Wednesday a disrespectful remark about the Russian Northern Fleet carrier group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier returning from Syria to its base in northern Russia via the English Channel, calling it a "ship of shame," and stressed that the Royal Navy escort aimed at keeping "Britain safe."
"We will keep a close eye on the Admiral Kuznetsov as it skulks back to Russia… We are man-marking these vessels every step of the way around the UK as part of our steadfast commitment to keep Britain safe," Fallon said, according to a statement published on the Royal Navy website.
He emphasized that Admiral Kuznetsov was "a ship of shame," whose mission "only extended the suffering of the Syrian people."
The carrier group, led by the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier and comprising over 40 naval aviation aircraft, which participated in counter-terrorism operations in Syria, started its sea passage from Mediterranean toward the Northern Fleet base in Severomorsk on January 6.
