An image of the Russian spy ship Yantar, which is operating off the northern coast of Scotland, is shown on a screen during Defence Secretary John Healey’s speech on how the UK’s defence industry is delivering growth and national renewal across the UK, at No. 9 Downing Street in central London.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
British Defence Minister John Healey said on Wednesday (November 19, 2025) that “military options” are ready should the Russian spy ship Yantar become a threat, after the vessel directed lasers at British pilots sent to monitor it.
Britain’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (RAF) routinely shadow potential threats to national security, and such missions to monitor Russian vessels and submarines have become more frequent since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Mr. Healey said directing lasers at RAF pilots was “deeply dangerous” and Britain was poised to react depending on the Yantar’s next move.
“We have military options ready should the Yantar change course,” Mr. Healey said.
The Yantar, designed for intelligence gathering and mapping underseas cables, is currently on the edge of British waters, north of Scotland, he said.
“This is the first time we’ve had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF. We take it extremely seriously,” Mr. Healey said. “I have changed the Navy’s rules of engagement so that we can follow more closely, monitor more closely, the activities of the Yantar when it’s in our wider waters.”
Published – November 19, 2025 08:43 pm IST
