Russian Spy Ship Spotted Off British Coast – UK Defence Secretary

A Russian spy ship called Yantar was spotted off the British coast on Monday after a Royal Navy submarine chased off the same vessel in November, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

The Yantar belongs to the Russian Navy and was equipped with “devices designed for deep-sea surveillance, as well as equipment for connecting to top-secret communication cables,” according to a Russian article in 2017.

Sky News, citing Healey’s statements to lawmakers on Wednesday, said Yantar was spotted off the British coast through the Cornish waters in November, with Healey instructing the Royal Navy to change its rule of engagement and allow its submarine HMS Astute to get close to Yantar to help monitor its activities in November.

In the latest incident, Healey said Yantar entered British waters on Monday, where the Royal Navy tracked it for two days before it entered Dutch waters.

“We will not shy away from robust action to protect Britain … We are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near UK or NATO territory,” Healey said, according to Reuters.

Yantar was last spotted between the UK and the Netherlands on Wednesday morning as of Thursday, according to the maritime database Marine Traffic.

Sky News said it was “rare” for London to reveal its top-secret nuclear submarine movements, saying Healey’s comments reflect the “extreme seriousness” of how London perceives the Russian threats.

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Germany is taking over the defense task from the United States, who the ministers thanked for its “tireless commitment” on the ground.

Healey’s comments also came amidst heightened tension in European waters after a series of undersea cable damages in recent years, with some accusing Moscow of undersea sabotage. However, unnamed intelligence officials told the Washington Post this week that they did not believe it was foul play at present.

That said, Healey announced on Wednesday that the UK would deploy maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft, as well as an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system, to help protect undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.