Britain has issued a sharp warning to Moscow after officials said a Russian intelligence-gathering vessel directed lasers at Royal Air Force pilots monitoring its movements near UK waters—a move the defence minister described as “deeply dangerous” and potentially escalatory.
Defence Secretary John Healey said Wednesday that London has prepared “military options” should the Russian vessel, Yantar, alter its course or pose a threat to national security.
The ship, equipped for underwater surveillance and the mapping of subsea cables, has been operating near the edge of British territorial waters north of Scotland.
“This is the first time we’ve seen this kind of action from the Yantar directed against British RAF pilots,” Healey said. “We take it extremely seriously. Directing lasers at pilots is deeply dangerous.”
Healey said he had updated the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement to allow for closer monitoring of the vessel while it remains in the UK’s exclusive economic zone.
The RAF and Royal Navy frequently shadow Russian submarines and intelligence ships transiting near British waters—operations that have increased in frequency since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
British officials did not specify what type of laser was used or whether any pilots were injured, but noted that the incident crossed a line in terms of risk to personnel and air safety.
Healey stressed that the UK would respond proportionately but firmly, depending on the Yantar’s next moves. “We have military options ready should the situation change,” he said.
The Kremlin has not publicly commented on the incident.
The Yantar—officially operated by Russia’s Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Research—has long been a focus of Western intelligence because of its capability to monitor, map, and potentially disrupt undersea telecom and energy cables vital to European infrastructure.
