Tensions between Russia and the United Kingdom have escalated sharply after London accused a Russian vessel, Yantar, of directing lasers at British military pilots while sailing near British waters. The incident, confirmed by Defence Secretary John Healey, has raised new concerns about Russian surveillance of critical undersea cables and infrastructure.
The episode comes as relations between Moscow and London remain strained over the war in Ukraine, cyber espionage and maritime security in the North Atlantic. Analysts say the confrontation could mark another step in Russia’s strategy to test Western defences.
What triggered the latest dispute
On Wednesday (November 19), the UK government said the Yantar, a Russian ship long suspected of conducting espionage operations under the guise of scientific research, entered British waters north of Scotland.
Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey condemned the incident, calling it “deeply dangerous.”
He said, “That Russian action is deeply dangerous. 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 confirmed that the ship had “directed lasers at military pilots” who were monitoring its movements. He added, “Anything that impedes, disrupts or puts at risk pilots in charge of British military planes is deeply dangerous. This is the first time we’ve had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF – we take it extremely seriously.”
According to Healey, the UK deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 patrol aircraft to track the Yantar’s movements.
What is the Yantar and why is it controversial?
Russia maintains that the Yantar is a research and oceanographic survey vessel. However, defence experts describe it as a spy ship operated by the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, a secretive division of Russia’s military responsible for undersea intelligence and special operations.
Commissioned in 2015, Yantar is 112 feet long and fitted with advanced antennas, sensors, and detection systems. It is believed to be capable of deploying mini-submarines designed to operate at great depths, giving it the ability to map or tamper with undersea cables.
According to the Council on Geostrategy, a London-based think tank, the ship’s real purpose is to “operate submarines that can gather intelligence on the deep sea, allowing possible sabotage of underwater cables.”
The Yantar has previously been sighted near strategic areas including Norway, Greenland, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Ireland. It was also used to recover wreckage of Russian aircraft and vessels, including fighter jets that crashed off Syria in 2017.
Why Britain is alarmed
The UK government’s biggest concern is that Yantar may be mapping critical undersea communication and energy cables that connect Britain to its allies.
Retired Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe told the BBC, “The most obvious one is they sit above our cables and our critical undersea infrastructure and they nose around in the cables that transfer up to 7 trillion dollars worth of financial transactions every day between us and America alone.”
The UK depends heavily on these undersea cables for internet traffic, defence communications, and global finance. A disruption, whether by accident or sabotage, could have devastating consequences.
NATO has also classified these cables as part of “critical global infrastructure,” warning that they could be targets in hybrid warfare or covert operations.
Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told BBC Radio 4 that the laser incident represented a clear escalation. “It was an escalation for sure. Essentially, you do it to impede the pilots from doing their work. We don’t know exactly how strong the lasers were, but even if they didn’t blind the pilots, it was provocative,” she said.
How Britain is responding
In response to the Yantar’s movements, the Royal Navy has reportedly altered its rules of engagement to allow ships to shadow the Russian vessel more closely, within roughly the length of a football pitch.
However, officials stressed that firing on the Yantar remains highly unlikely. A senior defence source told The Telegraph that it would be “inconceivable” for British forces to be given permission to use weapons unless the Russian ship took “very, very aggressive” action.
Russia’s reaction
Moscow has rejected the UK’s allegations and accused London of stirring “militaristic hysteria.”
A statement from the Russian Embassy in London said, “We have taken note of yet another provocative statement by British defence secretary John Healey. This time, the reason was the activities of the Russian oceanographic research vessel Yantar in international waters.”
The embassy added, “The endless accusations and suspicions of the British leadership cause only a smile. Our country’s actions do not affect the interests of the United Kingdom and are not aimed at undermining its security. We are not interested in British underwater communications. However, London, with its Russophobic course and whipping up militaristic hysteria, contributes to the further degradation of European security, creating the prerequisites for new dangerous situations.”
What happens next
For now, the Yantar’s presence near British waters has prompted tighter surveillance and renewed debate about protecting Europe’s undersea assets.
While direct confrontation appears unlikely, analysts warn that incidents like this add to an increasingly tense environment between NATO and Russia. The use of lasers against pilots marks a new, more provocative phase of grey-zone tactics -- operations designed to harass or intimidate without crossing into open conflict.
With both sides unwilling to back down, the standoff over the Yantar may become another flashpoint in the growing maritime rivalry between Russia and the West.
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