UK warns Putin after Russian spy ship returns to British waters

The Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian spy vessel aft it entered British waters earlier this week, the defence caput has told MPs.

John Healey said the vessel, Yantar, was utilized for gathering quality and mapping the UK's captious underwater infrastructure.

He said the incidental was "another illustration of increasing Russian aggression".

Healey added: "I besides wanted President Putin to perceive this message: we spot you, we cognize what you're doing and we volition not shy distant from robust enactment to support this country."

Russia describes Yantar arsenic an oceanic probe vas and it is operated by the country's Ministry of Defence.

Western nations person often tracked the vessel operating successful European waters and they fishy portion of its ngo has been to representation undersea cables.

They besides judge Russia has been stepping up this enactment since it launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

As good arsenic surveillance instrumentality the vessel tin run submersible drones susceptible of reaching the water floor.

Undersea infrastructure is important for vigor proviso done powerfulness cables and pipelines, portion much than 95% of net postulation is besides secured via undersea cables.

Healey said Yantar was presently successful the North Sea, aft passing done UK waters and being detected 45 miles disconnected the British seashore successful the English Channel connected Monday.

"For the past 2 days the Royal Navy has deployed HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to show the vas each infinitesimal done our waters," helium said.

"I changed the Royal Navy's rules of engagement truthful that our warships tin get person and amended way the Yantar. So far, the vessel has complied with planetary rules of navigation."

The defence caput said it was the 2nd clip the vas had entered British waters successful caller months, with Yantar besides detected "loitering implicit UK captious undersea infrastructure" successful November.

He said a Royal Navy submarine had been authorised to aboveground adjacent to Yantar "strictly arsenic a deterrent measure" and "to marque wide that we person been covertly monitoring its each move".

"The vessel past near UK waters without further loitering and sailed down to the Mediterranean," helium added.

Healey said the authorities was strengthening its effect to Russian naval enactment with its Nato allies.

He said the Royal Air Force would supply surveillance craft to articulation a Nato deployment to support captious infrastructure successful the Baltic Sea.

It comes aft an undersea cablegram betwixt Estonia and Finland was damaged successful December, with Finnish constabulary investigating whether a Russian vessel was involved.

Shadow defence caput James Cartlidge said the Conservative Party stood "shoulder to shoulder" with the government's attack and its "transparency" implicit the Russian naval threat.

He besides welcomed the alteration to the Royal Navy's rules of engagement, adding: "This sends a almighty awesome to Putin that we volition not beryllium intimidated and that if his purpose is to support pushing the boundaries of malign enactment successful our waters, and those proximate to us, we volition respond."

Cartlidge said the Russian enactment showed wherefore defence spending needed to beryllium accrued arsenic soon arsenic possible.