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

He calls the live-fire weapons exercise “performative and irresponsible”

Britain's Defence Secretary Wes Streeting walks following the first cabinet meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham at 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain, Jul 21, 2026. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe

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.