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British Defense Secretary John Healey said Wednesday that the United Kingdom has been monitoring a Russian intelligence-gathering ship just outside its territorial waters near Scotland and warned that Britain "is ready" should Moscow escalate further.
Speaking from Downing Street, Healey said the Yantar, a Russian spy vessel, entered the U.K.’s wider maritime zone in recent weeks and is now operating just north of Scotland.
“This is a vessel designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables,” Healey said.
He added that the Royal Navy deployed a frigate and the Royal Air Force scrambled aircraft to track the ship’s movements. “During this operation, the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots,” Healey said, calling the action “deeply dangerous.”
“This is the second time this year that this ship, the Yantar, has deployed to U.K. waters. So 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 marked the first instance of the Yantar targeting British pilots with lasers and emphasized the seriousness of the incident.
“We have military options ready should the Yantar change course,” he warned, though he declined to detail them for security reasons.
However, he did note that during the Yantar’s last deployment, the British military surfaced a nuclear-powered attack submarine near the ship “that they did not know was there.”
NATO allies and the U.K. have expressed growing concern over Russia’s activities near critical offshore infrastructure following several sabotage incidents targeting undersea telecom and power cables. Western officials have accused Moscow of waging a hybrid war against the West amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Healey used the confrontation to highlight what he described as a rapidly deteriorating global security environment.
“Our world is changing. It is less predictable; it is more dangerous,” he said.
“In the last year alone, we've seen the Israel–Iran war bring the Middle East to the brink, armed conflict erupt between India and Pakistan, Chinese spies targeting our democracy at home, and Putin escalate still further his war in Ukraine.”
Healey also cited increasing drone disruptions over European airspace, a doubling of Russian incursions into NATO airspace, and 90,000 cyberattacks against the U.K. defense system in the past year.
He called this “a new era of threat” that requires “a new era of defense, an era of hard power.”
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Healey also addressed the UK’s negotiations to join the European Union’s new Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defense investment fund, saying he hopes for a fair deal.
SAFE is a €150 billion ($160 billion) EU initiative to offer low-interest loans for defense procurement and production. Non-EU countries can participate if they meet the eligibility criteria.
Healey said the U.K. is open to joining but will not overpay.
“My message to the EU is what it's always been: we want a deal,” Healey said. “We’re ready to contribute to the costs of running the fair scheme. Ready to pay if there is good value for money for our taxpayers and our industry.”
Negotiations have been ongoing for weeks, with reports indicating the EU wants a €6 billion ($6.5 billion) contribution from the U.K., while Britain has offered significantly less.
“We’ve waited weeks within the negotiations for the chance to see the European proposals in some important areas,” Healey said. “We’re ready to be part of the scheme, but we’re not ready to be willing at any price.”
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