A Russian warship has been escorted out of the Moray Firth by the Royal Navy.

The HMS Somerset was dispatched after the Vice Admiral Kulakov was sighted on Saturday.

The Navy frigate shadowed the destroyer as it sailed out of the firth and along the coast of Norway.

Russian warships routinely pass through UK waters as they travel to and from deployments in the Mediterranean and the Gulf.

HMS Somerset commanding officer said: "As with all Royal Navy ships operating in UK waters, HMS Somerset was at a high state of alert to deal with any maritime security task such as this.

"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.

"We now continue with our original tasking having seen the Russian ships safely through the UK's area of interest."

The Vice Admiral Kulakov is a Russian Udaloy-class destroyer and it is believed to have been returning from a deployment in the Mediterranean.

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

It was not the Kulakov's first visit to the UK - the destroyer was also shadowed by HMS Somerset from the same position in the Moray Firth in March last year.