[Fallon called the aircraft carrier "a ship of shame whose mission has only extended the suffering of the Syrian people". (AFP Photo)]
London: Britain's Defense Minister Michael Fallon said on Wednesday that a Russian aircraft carrier used to wage a massive offensive on the Syrian city of Aleppo is on its way back to Russia, calling it a "ship of shame", AFP reported.
"We will keep a close eye on the Admiral Kuznetsov as it skulks back to Russia," Fallon said in a statement.
The Russian warship traveled through the North Sea to Syria last year, to help Moscow-ally President Bashar al-Assad's troops recapture opposition areas of Aleppo city after four years of fighting there.
The offensive forced thousands of civilians and opposition forces to flee the city, after years of intense bombing and clashes that ravaged swathes of Syria's former economic capital.
Fallon called the aircraft carrier "a ship of shame whose mission has only extended the suffering of the Syrian people".
Britain is deploying Typhoon jets and a frigate to shadow the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is accompanied by a Russian cruiser and salvage tug, the ministry said.
Russia's military said earlier this month that it had begun scaling down its deployment in Syria under a drawdown ordered by President Vladimir Putin on 29 December last year.
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