Defence secretary John Healey sent a stern warning to Vladimir Putin today after a Russian spy ship was spotted in British waters.
During a statement in the Commons on Wednesday, the cabinet minister said the “foreign vessel” entered the UK Exclusive Economic Zone just 45 nautical miles from the British coast on Monday.
Healey said this is “a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”.
While explaining how the UK is monitoring the vessel, he added: “I also want President Putin to hear this message: We see you.
“We know what you are doing. And we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”
The Royal Navy deployed HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to follow the ship, although it has complied with international rules of navigation so far.
He said today that a Royal Navy submarine is surfacing close to Yantar “to make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move”.
According to Healey, that prompted it to sail further down to the Mediterranean. The vessel is currently in Dutch waters.
But the defence secretary warned this was not the only time Russia has crept close to the UK.
Yantar also entered British waters in November, when it was “detected loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure”.
RAF Typhoons scrambled to stop two Russian aircrafts operating near the UK in September, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary continues to protect offshore infrastructure.
Healey told the House that the UK, along with the rest of Nato, is strengthening its response to Russian ships and aircrafts so they “cannot operate in secrecy near the UK or near NATO territory.”
The minister continued: “This is yet another example of growing Russian aggression, targeting our allies abroad and us at home.”
Pointing to the spy agencies’ warnings that Moscow is embarking on a “reckless campaign of sabotage” across Europe, Healey said: “We’re seeing periodic incursions of Russian military aircraft into airspace for which we are responsible.”
The minister claimed, “Russia is dangerous but fundamentally weak”, having suffered very high rates of casualties after three years of war.
But, he warned: “Russia remains the most pressing and immediate threat to Britain.”
The UK is also sanctioning more than 100 ships in the Russian Shadow Fleet, which Healey said was “more than any other nation”.