Russian spy ship spotted near UK coast

Healey stated that "a Russian spy ship, the Yantar, is on the edge of UK waters north of Scotland.''

According to him, the vessel entered the region a few weeks ago. He also emphasized that the ship may be gathering information on underwater infrastructure and that it is being closely monitored.

"This is a vessel designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables. We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF planes to monitor and track this vessel's every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots,'' Healey added.

The defense chief also stressed that Russia's actions are very dangerous, and that this is the second time this year that Yantar has entered British waters.

What is known about the vessel Yantar

Yantar is a Russian oceanographic research vessel, the lead ship of Project 22010 Kruys, built at the Baltic Shipyard between 2010 and 2015 for the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research of Russia's Ministry of Defense.

Officially, the vessel is intended for studying the water column of the world's oceans and its seabed. For this purpose, it carries special underwater craft capable of diving to depths of around 6,000 meters. The ship can also accommodate helicopters.

Although Yantar is nominally described as a research vessel, in reality, it is used for espionage and is equipped for intelligence gathering, carrying both manned and unmanned deep-sea submarines. Western countries have repeatedly recorded the ship's movements in European territorial waters.

The US Department of Defense monitors Yantar's movements.

Earlier, the UK government and the Ministry of Defense stated that the Royal Navy was tracking a Russian intelligence-gathering ship in the English Channel. London will also provide aircraft to a new NATO unit tasked with protecting maritime infrastructure.