Defence Secretary John Healey has issued a direct warning to the Kremlin after the Russian intelligence-gathering ship Yantar returned to the northern approaches of the UK and targeted RAF crews with laser dazzling devices.
The government says the vessel, which is sitting just outside UK territorial waters north of Scotland, was tracked by a Royal Navy frigate and RAF Poseidon aircraft after it entered the area in recent days.
Healey used a Westminster press conference to set out the government’s assessment of the ship’s purpose and to deliver a pointed message to Moscow. “We see you. We know what you’re doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready,” he said.
He described the vessel as part of a wider Russian programme under the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known as GUGI, which is tasked with developing and operating systems intended to surveil and, in conflict, sabotage undersea infrastructure. “It is part of a Russian fleet designed to put and hold our undersea infrastructure and those of our allies at risk,” Healey said, adding that the UK tracks the ship’s movements every time it enters “British wider waters” and does so in coordination with allies.
Helaey confirmed that during its current transit the ship used laser systems against RAF P-8 Poseidon crews sent to monitor it, a tactic NATO states have accused Russian units of using before in contested air and maritime zones. The UK response has involved deploying surface vessels and persistent air surveillance to map the ship’s activities.
Yantar is a 108-metre Project 22010 oceanographic vessel. Although officially a research platform, Western navies assess it as a deep-water espionage asset capable of deploying submersibles able to reach 6,000 metres, inspect or tamper with seabed cables and support covert seabed operations. Its return to UK waters follows a pattern of deployments that align with Russian interest in NATO’s critical underwater infrastructure.
Healey framed the UK response as part of a broader posture developed with Nordic and Baltic partners after recent attacks and suspected interference in regional offshore networks. “We will not tolerate a threat to the British people’s essential connections under water,” he said.
If we flag up what the Russians are doing and do nothing about it then it makes us look weak.
If a Russian vessel engages a UK aircraft with a laser then that’s an attack.
Shots should be fired across her bow and if she persists then they should return fire.
If we are not going to take such action then we should shut the f**k up about it because statements like this from Healy are exactly what the Russians want.
Better yet Healy could release the defence investment plan that he promised.
I agree – this isn’t grey warfare, it’s an attack designed to disrupt UK aircraft.
If we have reports of attack from a state actor, we should take action, either with shots across the bow or maybe even board and seize the ship
That would be a delightful turn of events, imagine the SBS storming the vessel. That would send a very, strong message to Vlad and his minions.
Perisher serial: anti-surface torpedo attack (LIVE)
Russian people in charge are gigantic “see you next tuesday”
I really hope Ukrajne starts to target Moscow so that the public realize what a bunch of psycho liars are leading them. much harder to spin when it happens in the capital than some remote place out of sight and out of mind
Targeting lasers at our planes is very provocative
However the Yantar’s capabilities are extremely worrying and of their two modern manned subs furtllng around our stragetic underwater assets is very worrying.
I hope the MOD have an Astute ready to confront them especially and if their 2 DSV’s is found in our waters
Sink them
Is there anything that can be done to disrupt them without sinking them?
I could tell them jokes 🫡
As Yantar doesn’t seem to have entered UK waters, a shot across the bows is what it deserves, no more. Physically imposing a frigate between the ship and UK waters to hold it back could be a possible. It’s probably a bit dangerous, just like dazzle lasers I suppose.
Their upto date DSV’s are what worry me
Yantar could just be in internanional waters whilst the DSV’s could be many miles inside our waters causing mischief
I wish we could grab one and catch them redhanded
I seem to remember an image of an Astute in Gib carrying a special ops submersible behind the conning tower
Maybe briefly pop an Astute out of the water so they know how much they’re being watched and that the UK is ready. Plus if they’re using lasers to disrupt RAF aircraft, Isn’t there anything the RAF or RN can use as a sort of non aggressive counter?
send the militant fringes of green and pro-palestine movements in boats to harass them. the radical ones are very good at being nuisances
if Russia responds with lethal force, then the armed forces would be entitled to respond and take them out
Sink it. Respond to aggression in the only way these subhumans understand. Stop being weak!
As long as the UK government sees no value in defence, nothing will change!
True but, if the voting public doesn’t want to pay extra taxes and doesn’t want cuts in services either but keeps putting things in the suggestions box entitled, ‘New Things to Spend Money on’ then there is not a lot of scope for change other than another round of deficit spending which only guarantees even less money for defence spending (and everything else) in the future,
We will may be send them a sturn text, or block them on face book. As we are too wet and weak to do any thing else. Just like the rest of Europe. What sad weak joke we look China and Russia do what they want and we moan about and do nothing. I am not saying sink the ship or boared it but come do something, stand up to them for once its embarrassing.
If ruzzia keeps attacking us the government will have no choice but to cut more capabilities.
That will show putin
Could the U.K. board and seize it to determine if the lasers being used are capable of permanent blinding, which breeches Protocol IV of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons? Of course, the lasers probably just cause temporary blindness… but we might have to haul it to port and dismantle all its super secret equipment to determine that 😏
This is reminiscent of the Cold War, when I recall reading that Soviet vessels would use laser Dazzlers on US and other NATO aircraft.
We had a handful in 82 deployed south, but I don’t think they were used. The media picked up on this in the mid 2000s which was hilarious as they’d been known about for a while and were a bit of an open secret.
GB has commented on these before maybe he will comment.
Non lethal is a thing, maybe we can return the complement?
I cannot recall the name the MoD gave the things….
These sorts of intrusions show the need to increase our forces in home waters. Expanding the OPV fleet would be an affordable option. Modest uparming, including a rotary UCAV would increase their effectiveness. Firing warning shots, as Russia claimed to have done to HMS in the Black Sea, might be enough to deter further incidents.