Defence Secretary John Healey condemns the Yantar’s actions as ‘deeply dangerous’ and says Britain is poised to react.<\/p>\n
Published On 20 Nov 202520 Nov 2025<\/p>\n
Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n
share2<\/p>\n
The United Kingdom has warned it is ready to use \u201cmilitary options\u201d if necessary after a Russian spy ship that has spent weeks on the edge of British waters directed lasers at British pilots sent to monitor the vessel.<\/p>\n
In a speech in London on Wednesday, British Defence Secretary John Healey condemned the Yantar\u2019s actions against royal air force (RAF) pilots as \u201cdeeply dangerous\u201d and said Britain is poised to react depending on the vessel\u2019s next move.<\/p>\n
Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n
The defence secretary said a UK naval frigate and RAF P-8 planes had been deployed to monitor the ship, which is designed for intelligence gathering and mapping undersea cables, as it sailed in waters north of Scotland.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy message to Russia and to [President Vladimir] Putin is this: We see you. We know what you\u2019re doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready,\u201d Healey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time we\u2019ve had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF. We take it extremely seriously,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Healey continued that he had changed the navy\u2019s rules of engagement to allow it to \u201cmonitor more closely\u201d the vessel\u2019s activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have military options ready should the Yantar change course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s air and naval forces routinely shadow potential threats near its territorial waters and airspace. Incursions by Russian vessels and submarines have become more frequent since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022.<\/p>\n
In a statement responding to Healey\u2019s accusations, the Russian embassy in London accused the British government of being \u201cRussophobic\u201d and \u201cwhipping up militaristic hysteria\u201d.<\/p>\n
Responding to what it described as \u201cendless accusations\u201d, it said Moscow\u2019s \u201cactions do not affect the interests of the United Kingdom and are not aimed at undermining its security\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not interested in British underwater communications,\u201d it said, urging Britain to \u201crefrain from destructive steps that exacerbate the crisis phenomena on the European continent\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Yantar, which is designed to conduct surveillance in peacetime and sabotage during times of war, according to British officials, also investigated the UK\u2019s defences in January<\/a> as it sailed through the English Channel.<\/p>\n The royal navy dispatched two vessels to monitor the spy vessel, which Healey said was \u201cloitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure\u201d before it departed for the Mediterranean.<\/p>\n Kremlin-linked vessels, part of Russia\u2019s so-called shadow fleet of sanctions-evading oil tankers, have been accused of carrying out attacks on pipelines and cables as a new form of underwater hybrid warfare.<\/p>\n