A RUSSIAN warship carried out a live-fire artillery exercise about 40 nautical miles south of Plymouth on Monday while being monitored by the Royal Navy.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Royal Navy observed the exercise and is continuing to "track the vessel's activity closely".
The Russian frigate, Neustrashimy, was also monitored by a French military aircraft, which made radio contact with the warship to ask it to clarify its intentions, the BBC has been told.
Before opening fire, the Russian warship informed the Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel HMS Tyne that it intended to carry out gunnery activity, the BBC was told. It also asked HMS Tyne to move to a safer distance, which it did. The live-fire exercise took place in international waters and lasted 30 minutes.
The incident comes amid increased Russian naval activity near UK waters in recent months.
Last month, Royal Marine Commandos boarded a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the English Channel during a six-hour operation.
In June, a Russian warship fired warning shots near a British couple sailing their yacht in international waters off the Isle of Wight after Russia said there had been a "dangerous approach". The couple said they were "not on a collision course".
Russian warships regularly pass through international waters in the English Channel, which are separate from UK and French territorial waters.
