UK Accuses Russian Spy Ship of Aiming Laser at Surveillance Aircraft

 

The Russian spy ship Yantar has had run-ins with British forces before, but this time it has gone too far, according to the UK Ministry of Defence. The ship allegedly directed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots off the coast of northern Scotland, creating a real hazard to health and safety - and prompting a strong reaction from the British government. 

At some point in the past few weeks, the Royal Navy dispatched a Type 23 frigate and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft to monitor the activities of the Yantar, a subsea espionage vessel belonging to the Russian Ministry of Defense's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI). The directorate operates Russia's top-secret minisubs, which are designed to dive deep for special missions - like emplacing subsea sensors and tampering with critical infrastructure. Yantar is a platform for deploying a manned submersible, the Project 16810 Rus-class, which is titanium-hulled and capable of reaching 20,000 feet of water depth.

The Russian threat to subsea cables and pipelines is a top concern for British defense planners, and Yantar is emblematic of that threat. While British forces were tracking the vessel off Scotland, Yantar's crew aimed a laser at a British aircraft in a "deeply dangerous" manner, according to Defence Secretary John Healey.

"We have military options ready should the Yantar change course. I am not going to reveal those because that only makes President Putin wiser," Healy said. "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 are ready." 

The Russian Embassy in London denied any improper behavior and accused the British government of "Russophobia" and "militaristic hysteria." The embassy asked the UK to "hold off taking any destructive steps which might aggravate the crisis situation on the European continent."

Earlier this week, Russian-funded saboteurs blew up tracks on a strategic rail line in eastern Poland, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Loss of civilian lives was prevented by early detection of gaps in the rail line, authorities said. In response, the Polish government has closed the last Russian consulate in the country, accused Russia of state terrorism, and arrested four suspects. Pursuit of additional suspects is under way.