British Defense Secretary John Healey said that the Russian spy ship Yantar, which was recently spotted in the English Channel, had been spotted in British waters before. It happened in November last year. This was reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
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According to Reuters, London claims that the Russian ship Yantar, which entered British waters on Monday, was used to reconnoiter and map critical infrastructure on the seabed.
The Royal Navy tracked the ship for two days until it entered Dutch waters.
Now the British side, which has been observing a Russian spy ship in the English Channel in recent days, will step up its response to covert operations by Russian ships and aircraft to protect its undersea cables.
We will not shy away from taking decisive action to defend Britain. We are stepping up our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near UK or NATO territory
The statement comes amid concerns about possible sabotage of power cables, telecommunications lines and gas pipelines following a series of disruptions in the Baltic Sea that have become more frequent since Russia's large-scale military aggression against Ukraine in 2022.
Britain has decided to send maritime patrols and surveillance aircraft to help NATO's efforts to protect cables in the Baltic Sea, John Healey said.
He added that the British side will also deploy an advanced AI (artificial intelligence) system to protect underwater infrastructure.
According to John Healey, the Russian ship Yantar was already “caught” in British waters in November 2024, when it was wandering over the cables.
The head of the British Ministry of Defense told the Parliament that, given the Yantar's activities, he had changed the rules of engagement to allow Royal Navy ships to get closer and better track the vessel.
In addition, he allowed a Royal Navy submarine to sail near the Yantar in a demonstration of deterrence.