A Royal Navy is reportedly tracking a Russian vessel after it entered U.K.’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) on Monday. The incident comes at a time of heightened concerns about the security of critical undersea cables.
In a statement to the House of Commons, U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey strongly condemned the Russian maritime activity in the U.K waters. He claimed that the Russian vessel Yantar is a “spy ship,” and is engaged in mapping underwater infrastructure.
Healey also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting to threaten European security by targeting critical undersea infrastructure, including oil, gas, electricity, and internet cables. He warned Putin: “we see you, we know what you are doing, and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country.”
He said Yantar is now in the North Sea after passing through British waters in recent days. The HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne, supported by Royal Navy assets, had been deployed to shadow the vessel during its passage through U.K. waters, according to Healey.
This is not the first time Yantar had entered U.K. waters. In November last year, the vessel was observed loitering over critical undersea infrastructure in the Irish Sea. Healey confirmed that during this earlier incident, he had authorised a Royal Navy nuclear submarine to surface in close proximity to the Russian vessel as a deterrent measure.
.@RFAProteus gets up close with the 🇷🇺Yantar in the Irish Sea in Novemberhttps://t.co/0w5yBSv8ZS pic.twitter.com/JmiEqLKLIj
— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) January 22, 2025
This incident comes after an undersea cable between Estonia and Finland was damaged in December, with Finnish authorities probing whether a Russian vessel was involved.
NATO has intensified its patrols in the region after undersea cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged three times over the past 18 months.
Just last week, NATO launched Operation Baltic Sentry, a mission to protect critical undersea cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea amid growing concerns over sabotage. The operation involves the deployment of frigates, naval drones and maritime patrol aircraft.
