Defence Secretary John Healey condemns the Yantar’s actions as ‘deeply dangerous’ and says Britain is poised to react.By News AgenciesPublished On 20 Nov 202520 Nov 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareThe United Kingdom has warned it is ready to use “military options” 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.In a speech in London on Wednesday, British Defence Secretary John Healey condemned the Yantar’s actions against royal air force (RAF) pilots as “deeply dangerous” and said Britain is poised to react depending on the vessel’s next move.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe 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.“My message to Russia and to [President Vladimir] Putin is this: We see you. We know what you’re doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready,” Healey said.“This is the first time we’ve had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF. We take it extremely seriously,” he added.Healey continued that he had changed the navy’s rules of engagement to allow it to “monitor more closely” the vessel’s activities. “We have military options ready should the Yantar change course,” he said.Britain’s 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.In a statement responding to Healey’s accusations, the Russian embassy in London accused the British government of being “Russophobic” and “whipping up militaristic hysteria”.Responding to what it described as “endless accusations”, it said Moscow’s “actions do not affect the interests of the United Kingdom and are not aimed at undermining its security”. Advertisement “We are not interested in British underwater communications,” it said, urging Britain to “refrain from destructive steps that exacerbate the crisis phenome …
