A Russian spy ship near UK territorial waters used lasers to prevent Royal Air Force pilots from tracking its activity, Defence Secretary John Healy said.
John Healy told reporters that the "extremely dangerous" movement of the ship "Amber" was being taken "extremely seriously" by the government. He added that the ship was north of Scotland and had entered UK waters for the second time this year in the past few weeks. The UK would continue to monitor the ship and had "ready military options in case "The Yantar changed course," the defence minister added.
Healy said the first-ever incident involving lasers occurred while the Yantar was being followed by a Royal Navy frigate and Poseidon P-8 aircraft, which were deployed to "track the ship's every move".
The minister said the ship, which was commissioned in 2015, was part of Russia's Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Exploration, which was set up "for reconnaissance in peacetime and sabotage in times of conflict". There are concerns the ship was trying to map British undersea cables.
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy issued a statement saying it was "not interested in British undersea communications“. The embassy added that “London, with its Russophobic approach and growing militaristic hysteria, is leading to a further deterioration of European security, creating the conditions for new dangerous situations”.
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Nov 20, 2025 04:09 253