By Associated Press
Publication Date: 2025-11-19 13:17:00
LONDON – Britain warned Russia on Wednesday that it was prepared to face any incursion into its territory after the spy ship Yantar was detected at the edge of UK waters north of Scotland.
Defense Secretary John Healey said Wednesday that the Russian ship had directed lasers at surveillance aircraft pilots monitoring its activities.
“My message to Russia and Putin is this: we see you. We know what you are doing. And if the Yantar heads south this week, we are ready,” Healey said during a speech in London.
Healey issued the warning while arguing for increased defense spending a week before the government publishes its new budget. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised big increases in military spending in the face of threats from Russia, China and Iran, the government faces difficult decisions moving forward. tax increases and spending cuts to close a multibillion-dollar deficit in its finances.
Healey, who will visit a drone factory on Wednesday afternoon, announced plans to build at least six new munitions factories at sites from Scotland to Wales. In June, the government pledged 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) to build the plants, which it says will create at least 1,000 jobs, boost economic growth and ensure the military has a steady supply of explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics.
British officials said the Yantar is part of the Russian navy, designed to carry out peacetime surveillance and wartime sabotage. Because of this, the United Kingdom and its allies track the ship and work to deter its operations whenever it approaches British territorial waters.
“It is part of a Russian fleet designed to put and maintain our and our allies’ underwater infrastructure at risk,” Healey said, referring to attacks on pipelines and cables under the Baltic Sea earlier this year.
This is not the first time the Yantar has explored British defences, Healey said. After a warning last year, the Yantar left UK waters for the Mediterranean. When the Russian ship later sailed through the English Channel in January, it was followed by HMS Somerset, a frigate assigned to national defense in the waters surrounding Britain.
Healey outlined Yantar’s activities during a speech in which he said the UK must adapt to a “new era of hard power”.
He cited the conflict in the Middle East, problems between India and Pakistan and Chinese spies targeting democratic institutions in the United Kingdom, as well as the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In June, Britain pledged to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035, in line with most other NATO nations. The commitment includes 3.5% of GDP for core defense spending, with another 1.5% for infrastructure projects designed to support the nation’s defense. Last year the UK spent around 2.3% of its GDP on defence.
“This is a new era of threats. It demands a new era for defence, an era of hard power, strong allies and confident diplomacy,” he said. “And as the threat grows, Britain must step up, and we do.”
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