Britain’s defense secretary said Wednesday that a Russian intelligence-gathering vessel fired lasers at Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots as it skirted the edge of UK territorial waters, prompting London to tighten monitoring and issue a sharp warning to Moscow.
According to Politico, UK Defence Secretary John Healey confirmed that the Russian spy ship “Yantar” – deployed to British waters for the second time this year – directed lasers at RAF pilots after the UK sent a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 surveillance aircraft to track its movements.
“That Russian action is deeply dangerous,” Healey said, adding that his message to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin was: “We see you. We know what you’re doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready.”
Ship designed to target undersea infrastructure, UK warns
Healey said the ship is “designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables,” with capabilities that allow it to “put and hold our undersea infrastructure and those of our allies at risk,” meaning the vessel can conduct surveillance in peacetime and potentially sabotage in conflict.
Asked why the lasers posed such a threat, Healey said: “Anything that impedes, disrupts or puts at risk pilots in charge of British military planes is deeply dangerous.”
He added that the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement had been revised to allow the vessel to be shadowed more closely, and that “military options” were prepared should the Yantar change course.
“I’m not going to reveal those,” he said, “because that only makes President Putin wiser.”
Analyst: Ship positioned over key transatlantic cables
According to military analyst Professor Michael Clarke cited by Sky News, Yantar carries no visible armaments but has extensive surveillance equipment and a record of “hovering over pipelines and undersea cables.” He noted that the ship’s current position places it near a cluster of cables linking North America and Europe.
Clarke said the vessel has “a very malign intent” and is believed to be able to launch small submersibles capable of damaging infrastructure.
He warned that recent incidents, including the laser targeting of pilots, show a trajectory toward a possible confrontation. While stopping a ship in international waters remains legally complex, Clarke said the UK “probably would” intervene if necessary.
NATO tightened maritime scrutiny weeks earlier
About a month ago, the Royal Navy – acting under direct NATO command for the first time – had been scrambled to shadow a Russian warship transiting UK waters, a deployment a Royal Navy spokesperson described as a “historic first.”
The Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan, supported by a helicopter, monitored the Russian destroyer, Vice-Admiral Kulakov, for 48 hours as it moved from the North Sea into the English Channel.
The operation formed part of NATO’s broader push to intensify surveillance of Russian naval activity across northern Europe, with the alliance stressing that it is “watching” and ready to respond to actions threatening undersea infrastructure and maritime security.