A British carrier strike group may have been used to move NATO saboteurs toward Russia’s northern borders, military pilot Vladimir Popov told Gazeta.Ru.

According to his assessment, the mission could have involved intelligence work or sabotage and reconnaissance operations. Popov suggested that, as part of assistance to Ukraine, the group may have been preparing a landing near Russian shores. From there, such units, including Ukrainian combat swimmers, could have tried to mine Russian ships.

The military pilot said this scenario should not be dismissed outright. He linked that view to what he described as the long-standing tension in relations between Russia and Britain.

Popov also noted that the sabotage group did not necessarily have to be on board the HMS Prince of Wales, the British aircraft carrier that was recently operating in the Norwegian Sea. In his view, the personnel could have been placed on one of the escort ships instead.

The discussion followed a statement from the British Ministry of Defence. The day before, London said that a Russian Tu-142 patrol aircraft had approached a UK naval carrier strike group in the Norwegian Sea.

According to the British side, the aircraft came too close to HMS Prince of Wales, dropped several sonar buoys and did not respond on international safety frequencies. London said the episode took place on July 2.