British submarine secretly monitored Russian spy ship near undersea cables

• The UK has twice tracked a Russian spy ship into its waters in recent months.
• In November, a British submarine tracked the ship and surfaced nearby to hijack it.
• British Defense Secretary Healey said the Russian ship was mapping submarine cables and collecting information.

A British submarine quietly followed a Russian spy ship that was hanging around submarine cables in British waters last fall, then surfaced nearby to force the ship to leave, the British Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. Defense.

The Russian ship was spotted in British waters again this week, and British Defense Secretary John Healey accused it of mapping underwater infrastructure and gathering critical intelligence.

Healey addressed the House of Commons on Wednesday to discuss Russia’s maritime activities. The Russian spy ship Yantar, he explained, is in the North Sea after passing through British waters. Two Royal Navy ships, HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne, were deployed “to monitor the ship every minute in our waters”, he said.

Healey accused Yantar of mapping the UK’s submarine cables in the region. “To be clear, this is a Russian spy ship used to gather intelligence and map the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure,” Healey said.

Western officials have raised concerns about hybrid warfare and other threats to undersea cables critical to global data transmission. The cables have been damaged several times in recent months. It remains unclear whether these incidents, linked to Russia and China, were intentional.

Healey said he had adjusted the Royal Navy’s rules of engagement to allow British ships to close in to follow the Yantar.

This week’s appearance is the second involving the Yantar sailing in British waters in recent months. Healey confirmed on Wednesday that in November the spy ship was “detected loitering over the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”. The MOD said the same thing.

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In response, Healey deployed three Royal Navy ships and a maritime patrol aircraft to monitor the Yantar. He also allowed a Royal Navy submarine to surface near the Russian spy ship as a deterrent, making it “clear that we were covertly monitoring its every move,” Healey said.

Britain’s Defense Secretary said the incidents were the latest examples of concerning Russian activity around critical infrastructure, particularly in light of recent incidents.

Russia has long engaged in hybrid warfare tactics against NATO, and these have increased since the start of the war in Ukraine. These tactics, as well as other hybrid warfare efforts, are considered by officials and military leaders to be difficult to respond to because they fall just below the threshold of conflict.

The UK’s response includes sanctions on ships suspected of being part of Russia’s ghost fleet and closer communications with allies on tracking movements.

Healey also said the Royal Air Force would provide a P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft to NATO’s Baltic Sentry deployment, specifically to monitor submarine cables in the Baltic Sea.