A Russian spy ship appears on course for Irish-controlled waters, with the UK promising a military response should it change course.
According to the UK government, the Yantar, which is capable of interfering with subsea cables, has been spotted off the Scottish coast, just outside the UK’s territorial waters.
It has been pointing lasers at RAF pilots sent to conduct surveillance aircraft of the ship, British defence secretary John Healey said on Wednesday morning.
In response, he has changed the rules of engagements for Royal Navy ships allowing them to shadow the Yantar at a closer distance.
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The Yantar has its automatic identification system switched off, meaning it is not available on publicly accessible vessel trackers.
However, open source aircraft trackers show RAF aircraft, including Typhoon fighter jets, Scotland’s west coast.
The location suggests the Yantar is intending to sail south, either into the Irish Sea or down the Irish west coast. Both courses would likely bring it into the Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Yantar, which is officially described as an auxiliary general oceanographic research vessel by the Russian authorities, is widely believed by western military intelligence to be equipped to conduct surveillance, and possible sabotage, on critical marine infrastructure such as gas pipelines and communications cables.
The Yantar took a similar path down the Irish Sea in November last year where it was shadowed by an Irish naval ship and maritime patrol aircraft.
At one stage, Irish military personnel observed three drones in the air that appeared to be under the control of the Yantar.
The Yantar, which has a crew of 60, is believed to be capable of deploying autonomous undersea drones capable of interfering with subsea infrastructure.
The ship’s reappearance has drawn a sharp response from the UK government.
The ship is “designed for gathering intelligence and mapping our undersea cables”, Mr Healey told journalists.
“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,” he added.
“It is part of a Russian fleet designed to put and hold our undersea infrastructure and those of our allies at risk.
“It isn’t just a naval operation. It’s part of a Russian programme driven by what they call the main directorate of deep-sea research, or GUGI, and this is designed to have capabilities which can undertake surveillance in peacetime and sabotage in conflict.
“That is why we’ve been determined, whenever the Yantar comes into British wider waters, we track it, we deter it and we say to Putin we are ready, and we do that alongside allies,” he said.
“We have military options ready should the Yantar change course. I am not going to reveal those because that only makes President Putin wiser,” Mr Healey said.
At a press conference in Downing Street, the defence secretary said for the first time the Yantar had used lasers to “disrupt” RAF pilots. He called this a deeply dangerous action.
In recent years Russian and Chinese ships have increasingly targeted rival aircraft or ships with high-power invisible lasers in an apparent effort to blind crews.
The Defence Forces has been contacted for comment.
