The British Navy said on Wednesday it was stepping up measures to protect its waters from covert Russian operations, after identifying a Russian spy ship in British waters for the second time in as many weeks.
A Russian spy ship, named Yantar, sailed through the English Channel this week, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. It was escorted by the British frigate HMS Somerset as it passed through the channel, the statement added.
The Jantar first entered British waters in November, where it “maintained a position” above critical underwater infrastructure, it said. After receiving a warning from a British submarine, the ship left the UK and headed for the Mediterranean, but has since returned, the Guardian reports.
This incident comes against the backdrop of heightened concerns about possible Russian sabotage in international waters, amid Russia's war in Ukraine and a series of other incidents in the Baltic Sea.
British Defense Secretary John Healy said the UK is stepping up protection of cables and other infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, providing assistance to NATO through naval patrols and surveillance aircraft.
"My message to President Putin is clear: We know what you are doing and we will not hesitate to take decisive action to protect Britain," Healy said on Wednesday.
He also announced that an advanced AI system called Nordic Warden would be deployed for the same purpose. This was announced by the British government after the Estlink2 submarine cable between Estonia and Finland was damaged in December.
"Together with our allies in the Joint Expeditionary Force and NATO, we are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate covertly near UK or NATO territory."
We will continue to expose the malicious activities Putin is directing, cracking down on Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ to prevent it from funding his illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the UK statement during a briefing with reporters on Thursday. Asked about the claim that the Yantar had sailed through the English Channel this week, Peskov said he was “not really familiar with the topic” and did not elaborate further.
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