london
—
Britain’s Defense Secretary said on Wednesday that a Russian spy ship had entered British waters and beamed a laser at a military pilot, warning that the country faced a “new era of threat” from hostile forces.
Speaking in London, John Healy said the Yantar spy ship was currently at the edge of British waters north of Scotland and that the ship was designed to “gather intelligence and map the UK’s undersea cables”.
He said a Royal Air Force (RAF) Poseidon 8 military aircraft had been deployed to “track the ship’s every movement” and said its pilots had been targeted with lasers.
“Russia’s actions are extremely dangerous,” Healy said. “My message to Russia and President (Vladimir) Putin is this: ‘We see you and we know what you are doing. If Yantar sails south this week, we will be ready.'”
The Russian embassy in London was furious at what it called Mr Healy’s “latest provocative statements”, insisting that the Yantar was a “marine research vessel” operating in international waters. In a statement, the embassy denied targeting Britain’s underwater communications or undermining security.
“London’s Russophobic line and the incitement of militaristic hysteria are contributing to a further deterioration of European security and creating the conditions for a new dangerous situation,” the embassy said.
Mr Healy’s unusual announcement marks the second time this year that Britain has condemned Yantar’s activities. The government says the ship maps undersea cables used by Britain and its NATO allies for energy and communications, and is part of Russia’s top secret deep-sea research unit known as GUGI. But Mr Healy said this was the first time Russia had aimed a laser directly at a British military aircraft.
“We take this matter very seriously,” he said. “I have changed the naval rules of engagement to enable us to more closely track and monitor Yantar’s activities in our wider sea areas.” The Defense Secretary stressed that Britain “has military options in place should Yantar change course.”
Britain sees Yantar’s recent incursions into British waters as part of a pattern of increasingly reckless Russian advances into NATO territory, as Moscow seeks to demonstrate to Europe that supporting Ukraine comes at a price.
In recent months, drones have repeatedly entered NATO airspace from Russia, alongside other acts of sabotage. This week, Polish authorities blamed Russia for an explosion on a main railway line from Poland to Ukraine, calling it an “unprecedented act of sabotage.” On Wednesday, NATO again scrambled fighter jets over Poland and Romania in response to Russian airstrikes in western Ukraine.
“This is a new era of threats,” Healy said.
