Britain issued one of its sharpest warnings to Moscow in years after Defence Secretary John Healey said a Russian intelligence-gathering vessel had entered UK waters and directed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots operating north of Scotland. The incident, involving the surveillance ship Yantar, underscores what British officials describe as a growing pattern of Russian incursions across NATO territory and a heightened threat environment facing the UK.
Healey said the ship had crossed in and out of Britain's exclusive economic zone several times in recent weeks, echoing a similar approach earlier this year. This time, however, UK officials said Russian sailors escalated by targeting RAF pilots with lasers while the UK deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 aircraft to track its movements. "That Russian action is deeply dangerous," Healey said.
Speaking from Downing Street, the defence secretary added, "As I speak, a Russian spy ship, the Yantar, is on the edge of UK waters, north of Scotland, having entered the UK's wider waters over the last few weeks." He said the vessel is "designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables," raising concerns that Moscow is probing British critical infrastructure.
Healey warned that the government was prepared for further action if the vessel moved south. "So my message to Russia and to Putin is this: we see you, we know what you're doing, but if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready." He reiterated that anything that "puts at risk pilots in charge of British military planes is deeply dangerous," describing this as "the first time we've had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF."
The defence ministry said the incident fits a broader pattern that has included Russian drones over Poland and Belgium and a previous January episode in which a British submarine surfaced close to Yantar after tracking its movements.
Healey also told reporters he had "changed the navy's rules of engagement so that we can follow more closely, monitor more closely, the activities of the Yantar when it's in our wider waters," a shift that shortens the distance at which UK vessels will shadow the ship.
In a separate briefing to Reuters, Healey said "military options" were prepared "should the Yantar change course," emphasising that Britain was taking the confrontation seriously as Europe faces continued pressure from Russia's war in Ukraine.
The government is simultaneously negotiating its potential participation in the European Union's proposed Safe defence fund, though Healey signaled caution on the terms, insisting, "We're ready to be part of this scheme but we're not ready to be willing at any price."
