Defence Secretary John Healey has delivered a stark warning to Vladimir Putin after disclosing that a Russian spy vessel lurking at the boundary of UK waters targeted RAF pilots with laser beams.
Mr Healey declared at a Downing Street press conference: “As I speak a Russian spy ship, the Yantar, is on the edge of UK waters, north of Scotland, having entered the UK’s wider waters over the last few weeks. This is a vessel designed for gathering intelligence and mapping out undersea cables.
“We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF plans to monitor and track this vessel’s every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots. That Russian action is deeply dangerous, and this is the second time this year that this ship began to deploy to UK waters. So my message to Russia and to Putin is this we see you, we know what you’re doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we’re ready.”
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
He continued: “This is also a stark reminder that we are in a new era of threat. Our world is changing. It’s less predictable. It is more dangerous.”
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