Russian spy ship Yantar is operating on the edge of British waters and has directed lasers at pilots of surveillance aircraft monitoring its activities, the Defence Secretary has said.
John Healey warned Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the UK “is ready” to respond as “military options” have been drawn up if the ship heads south.
The vessel is designed for gathering intelligence and mapping crucial undersea cables has loitered off the northern coast of Scotland.
It entered wider UK waters over the last few weeks.
During a Downing Street press conference on Wednesday, Mr Healey said: “We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 planes to monitor and track this vessel’s every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots”.
“That Russian action is deeply dangerous. This is the second time this year that this ship, the Yantar, has deployed to UK waters,” he added.
Mr Healey also said: “It is part of a Russian fleet designed to put and hold our undersea infrastructure and those of our allies at risk.
“It isn’t just a naval operation. It’s part of a Russian programme driven by what they call the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, or GUGI, and this is designed to have capabilities which can undertake surveillance in peacetime and sabotage in conflict.”
One of Putin’s spy ships, the Yantar, has been detected in UK waters over the last few weeks
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PA
