The navy has been monitoring the passage of the Russian ship Mercury off the Portuguese mainland since Wednesday, the branch said in a statement.
“The Figueira da Foz and the Dragan have been escorting and controlling since August 16 the Guardian-class vessel RFS Mercury in transit off the coast of mainland Portugal,” the Navy disclosed in a statement sent to news departments.
The Navy recalled that “surveillance of Russian naval units is related to the protection of national interests and the exercise of state power at sea” and “also contributes to Portugal’s commitment to the collective efforts of the Alliance to maintain maritime awareness.”
The Portuguese navy has recently escorted several Russian ships on their passage off the coast of the country.
Last week, for example, he accompanied the passage of the Russian motor ship Kildin.
The most high-profile incident occurred in March of this year, when 13 servicemen from a ship assigned to the Madeira Coastal Zone “refused to carry out” a mission to escort a Russian ship north of Porto Santo, claiming “a malfunction in one of the engines.”