Telegraph: Russian ship Yantar spotted in British waters
The Russian ship Yantar is allegedly terrorizing the British Air Force by blinding the pilots with lasers, The Telegraph writes. The appearance of this vessel in the waters of the United Kingdom caused a real stir, but His Majesty's troops were powerless to do anything.
Tom Cotterill
A Russian spy ship tried to blind British military pilots with lasers, the defense minister said.
John Healy said that the Yantar ship shone beams of light at the pilots flying the Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft when the plane was sent to monitor it.
According to Healy, the ship, which is believed to be part of the Kremlin's "shadow fleet," is currently under surveillance by a Royal Navy frigate off the coast of Scotland.
This is the second time in a year that the Yantar has appeared in British waters. The leadership of the Ministry of Defense believes that the ship uses a set of equipment to spy on the UK.
The use of Amber lasers was seen as a dramatic escalation, and Healy called it an "extremely dangerous step" during a press conference at Downing Street on Wednesday.
Describing the incident, Healy said: "We have sent a Royal Navy frigate to monitor and Air Force P-8 aircraft to monitor and track every movement of the vessel. Russia's actions are extremely dangerous, ship "Yantar enters the waters of Great Britain for the second time in a year. My message to Russia and Putin is this: we see you, we know what you're doing, and if Yantar goes south this week, we'll be ready."
The Amber is currently on the border of British waters north of Scotland, after "entering wider UK waters in the last few weeks," Healy added.
Healy also said that the Yantar is "part of the Russian fleet designed to pose a threat to their underwater and allied infrastructure."
He added: "This is not just a naval operation. This is part of a Russian program implemented by the so-called General Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI), which is designed to provide opportunities for peacetime surveillance and sabotage in the event of conflict. That's why we decided that whenever the Yantar enters British waters, we monitor it and, together with our allies, inform Putin that we are ready. This is exactly what happened last year, when the UK reacted to attacks on critical infrastructure together with the Baltic and Northern European countries, after which NATO joined the operation. Thus, our country demonstrates, if you will, its readiness for action. Therefore, make no mistake, we will not tolerate a threat to the most important underwater communications."
Amber in the English Channel
Earlier in January, the ship was spotted entering British waters, prompting intervention from the Royal Navy.
The Russian vessel, which, according to Healy, serves to "collect intelligence and map UK submarine cables," was accompanied by the frigate HMS Somerset and the patrol ship HMS Tyne.
A Merlin helicopter was secretly launched from HMS Somerset, which detected the Russian ship with the help of sensors as it headed north towards the English Channel.
The Type-23 frigate then approached the Yantar's location and intercepted it at the entrance to the English Channel, south of the vessel traffic separation scheme off Huesan Island, near France.
Commander Matthew Teare, captain of HMS Somerset, said at the time: "The Royal Navy is always there when the country needs it. He protects our homeland and the surrounding waters. This is a day-to-day job for the crew of HMS Somerset and the Royal Navy, but nevertheless, it is critical to the safety of the UK, and I am proud of the professionalism of the team."
The UK is increasingly concerned about the presence of Russian forces in its territorial waters.
Last month, the defense minister said that the activity of Russian submarines had increased by a third.
Meanwhile, Russian ships are increasingly accompanied by British ships when passing through the English Channel. Representatives of the Ministry of Defense insist that these operations are planned.
