A ROYAL Air Force spy plane roared over a Russian warship in a dramatic Channel showdown – as Europe’s top generals swoop into London to discuss putting troops in Ukraine.

The Poseidon P-8A patrol plane buzzed the destroyer Severomorsk as it led a Russian convoy retreating past the cliffs of Dover.

The major show of force involved Merlin and Wildcat helicopters and three Royal Navy warships, including HMS Somerset.

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said: “Russia should be in no doubt that the UK will defend our waters.”

The Russian ships were beating a humiliating retreat from Syria back to Baltic, after Russia was forced to abandon its Tartus naval base in the when their puppet dictator Bashar al Assad was toppled by rebels last year.

The choppers swooped and circled low over a the four ship convoy to glean Top Secret intelligence on their crew and deadly cargoes.

The Navy said the mission was “the third of its kind in six weeks as Russia increases its activity in UK waters”.

The Russian destroyer Severomorsk and the amphibious landing ship Alexander Shabalin were escorting two Kremlin cargo ships, the MV Sparta IV and MV Siyanie Severa, laden with weapons and ammunition from Tartus.

The Navy added: “As the Russian ships sailed east through the Channel and the North Sea towards the Baltic Sea, the Royal Navy ships deployed powerful sensors and launched the Merlin and Wildcat helicopters to report on every move.”

The Royal Navy vessels, including mine hunter HMS Cattistock and tanker RFA Tidesurge, stalked the Russian vessels from Land’s End through the Dover Strait to deter any acts of sabotage.

The Navy added: “In the space of six weeks, the Royal Navy has shadowed three separate task groups returning from Syria.”

This was thought to be the final convoy from Tartus marking a major blow to Russia’s naval presence in the Med.

Armed Forced Minister Pollard thanked all the crews involved and added: “National security is a foundation of the government’s plan for change and ensuring freedom of navigation contributes to our economy.”

It comes as the chiefs of Europe’s armed forces are due to meet at the UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters tomorrow to discuss “operational details” on policing a peace plan in Ukraine.

Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin rejected US calls for ceasefire but agreed to hold ice hockey games with America after a marathon call with Donald Trump yesterday.

Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer said he is willing to put British boots on the ground to police any ceasefire.

But Putin has flatly rejected calls to have Nato troops in Ukraine.

Commander Joel Roberts, the captain of HMS Somerset, hailed his crew’s professionalism on a complex mission with multiple ships and aircraft – including fro Nato allies, including Belgium

He said: “There is strength in a coordinated Nato response, and our unity and ability to deliver integration of air and maritime operations remain some of our greatest assets.”

The Severomorsk destroyer can carry more than 100 missiles and torpedoes and two Ka-27 helicopters.

It had sailed west through the Channel last week to meet the retreating Russian vessels and lead them back through the Dover Strait.

The Ropucha-class landing ship Alexander Shabalin can carry up to 10-main battle tanks and 340 troops. It’s bow opens up like a ferry’s to spew tanks or armoured vehicles in an assault.

The Belgian patrol ship BNS Castor took over the escort duty as the Russian ships left UK waters.

It comes weeks after Defence Secretary John Healey vowed to take “robust action” against suspected Russian subsea sabotage.

He ordered an Astute class nuclear submarine to surface yards away from the Russian spy ship Yantar last year after it was suspected of interfering with subsea cables in the Irish Sea.

In a stark message to President Putin, Healey said: “We see you.

“We know what you are doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”

Last month The Sun joined the frigate HMS Iron Duke on a similar intercept mission.

The Type 23 frigate closed to within 1,000 yards of the rusting warship Aleksandkr Otrakovskiy.

It was the first time journalists have joined a Royal Navy intercept mission in living memory.

Cockpit displays in the Wildcat chopper, which launched from Iron Duke, showed Russian sailors with Kalashnikov rifles slung across their chests and comrades manning heavy machine guns mounted on the warship’s bows.

It is the closest Britain’s armed forces have come to Russia’s military since Kremlin tyrant Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine three years ago.

Earlier this month HMS Somerset spent three days escorting the Russian corvette Boikiy as it led a cargo vessel back from the Med.

The Navy said: “The UK is heavily dependent on imports and exports by sea, which is why securing the UK’s waters and areas of interest is essential to supporting the economy and growth.”