Russian spy ships seen patrolling the Moray Firth

Two Russian spy ships have been spotted in north-east waters.

The ships were caught in the Moray Firth, within 30-miles of RAF Lossiemouth which recently received its Poseidon submarine-hunting squadron.

They are believed to be Vishnya-class vessels which are armed with sea defence missiles and are used to gather sensitive radio traffic.

The ships are 91.5m long and have a crew of about 15o people.

A Naval News report claimed the ships became visible on commercial satellite imagery on November 6.

They said that the Vishnyas are accompanied by a Russian Navy replenishment ship, believed to be the Sergey Osipov.

The NavalNews report added: “The scene is reminiscent of the Soviet ‘fishing trawlers’ which used to operate off Scotland during the Cold War.

“These monitored British and American warships and submarines. They were particularly active watching British and American nuclear submarines leaving the Clyde.

“The Moray of Firth was another frequent haunt.”