'We see you': Britain accuses Russia of aiming lasers at RAF crew as spy ship Yantar enters UK waters

Britain on Wednesday (Nov 19) accused Russia of escalating its provocations after a Russian intelligence ship entered UK waters and, according to officials, aimed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots monitoring its movements. Defence Secretary John Healey said the spy vessel, the Yantar, was sitting on the edge of British territorial waters north of Scotland and was built for one purpose, "gathering intelligence and mapping Britain’s undersea cables". Warning that the UK was facing a "new era of threat" from hostile actors, Healey said that Russia's actions are "deeply dangerous".

What did Russia do?

Healey told an audience in London that an RAF Poseidon-8 aircraft was dispatched to track the Russian spy ship Yantar and that the British ship's crew reported being targeted by Russian lasers during the mission. He called the move dangerous and warned Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin that Britain was prepared to act if the vessel moved further south. "We see you, we know what you’re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready," he said, adding that the government would not be intimidated or deterred from supporting Ukraine.

Also read | US to push Russia's 'maximalist terms,' ask Ukraine to cede territory, halve army: Report

Healey said that the government would continue to be vigilant "just as we have been about incursions into NATO airspace, just as we are being now in terms of identifying the Russian spy ship in UK waters and just as we have continued to be in response to sabotage threats that we have seen across many different European countries as well."

Russia slams UK's 'Russophobic provocation'

Russia's embassy in London pushed back, calling what Healey said "the latest provocative statements" and insisting the Yantar was an "oceanographic research vessel" operating in international waters. While denying accusations of targeting UK underwater communications or undermining the nation's security, the embassy alleged that the British government was stoking "militaristic hysteria" and worsening European security. "London’s Russophobic course and the whipping up of militaristic hysteria are contributing to the further degradation of European security, creating the conditions for new dangerous situations," it said.

Also read | Trump signs bill ordering full release of Epstein files, but insists whole thing is a Democrat hoax

Where is Yantar?

The Yantar, as per Britain’s PA Media news agency, is inside the UK’s exclusive economic zone, which stretches 200 nautical miles from the coast, but has so far avoided crossing into territorial waters (stretching 12 nautical miles from the shores). British officials claim the ship belongs to Russia’s secretive deep-sea unit, known as GUGI, and has been observed mapping Western undersea cables in the past. While the UK has raised concerns about the Yantar before, Healey said this is the first time Moscow has directly targeted British pilots.

"We take it extremely seriously," said the UK defense secretary, adding that in response, he had updated 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".