WARSHIP: The Russian vessel came into British waters off the Scottish coast

Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset was scrambled after Vladimir Putin’s warship Vice Admiral Kulakov, accompanied by a tanker, was detected off the Scottish coast on Saturday.

Somerset was trialling sonar equipment when she received a call to locate and shadow the Russian units.

The Vice Admiral Kulakov was thought to be returning from a deployment in the Mediterranean.

The warship was accompanied by a tanker, which is standard procedure for Russian ships.

Russian military ships regularly pass through British waters en route to the Middle East
LETHAL: The Vice-Admiral Kulakov is well-armed Russian destroyer

This is the second time that this vessel has passed through British waters in the space of a week, after it was spotted battling storms in the Dover Strait.

Commander Timothy Berry, Commanding Officer of the HMS Somerset, said that they Royal Navy was closely watching the movements of Russian ships.

He said: "Monitoring transits of non-NATO warships through UK territorial waters is part of what the Royal Navy does all year round to keep Britain safe."

Photos from the Ministry of Defence show the frigate passing close by to Russian craft.

STANDOFF: Pictures from the Ministry of Defence show the British and Russian ships

The 7,900 ton vessel is a Russian Udaloy-class destroyer, a Royal Navy source told Daily Star Online.

It is over 500ft long and dates back to the time of the Soviet Union.

In contrast the HMS Somerset is a Type-23 frigate weighing just 5,000 tons and only 400ft long.

Vladimir Putin's ship is armed to the teeth, designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines.

DEFIANT: Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian warships regularly pass through UK waters on the way to or from missions in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Russia's naval manoeuvres have stepped up in recent years after Putin increased his involvement in the Syrian civil war.

Last year war tensions were ramped up when a Russian war fleet passed Dover en route to the conflict in the Middle East.

Russia has denied that it has behaved aggressively towards NATO, claiming its own military build-up is a direct reaction to the West.