DEFENCE SECRETARY John Healey said on Wednesday that Britain has "military options" ready if the Russian vessel Yantar becomes a threat after it directed lasers at RAF pilots monitoring it.
The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force regularly track vessels assessed as potential security risks, and missions involving Russian ships and submarines have increased since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Healey said the use of lasers against RAF pilots was "deeply dangerous" and that the response would depend on Yantar’s next actions.
"We have military options ready should the Yantar change course," Healey said.
The Russian embassy in London, responding to what it called "endless accusations", said: "Our country's actions do not affect the interests of the United Kingdom and are not aimed at undermining its security.
"We are not interested in British underwater communications," it said, urging "the British side to refrain from destructive steps that exacerbate the crisis phenomena on the European continent."
Healey said the Yantar, which is built for intelligence gathering and mapping undersea cables, is currently north of Scotland on the edge of British waters.
He said: "This is the first time we've had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF. We take it extremely seriously."
"I have changed the navy's rules of engagement so that we can follow more closely, monitor more closely, the activities of the Yantar when it's in our wider waters."
(With inputs from agencies)
