A Russian surveillance vessel was recently spotted near the United Kingdom’s maritime boundary, as confirmed by British defense authorities.

According to SKY News, Defense Secretary John Healey reported that the vessel, named Yantar, had made its second appearance in the vicinity of U.K. waters.

“This ship is specifically equipped for intelligence gathering and mapping our undersea cables,” Healey stated during a press briefing. “In response, we dispatched a Royal Navy frigate and RAF aircraft to meticulously monitor the vessel’s activities, during which the Yantar aimed lasers at our pilots.”

British Defense Secretary John Healey, addressing the media from the Downing Street briefing room in London, stood before an image of the Yantar, highlighting the ship’s presence. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

In a stern message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Healey declared, “We are aware of your actions, and should the Yantar head south this week, we are fully prepared.”

In response to growing military needs, the UK has announced plans to construct several factories dedicated to producing munitions and military-grade explosives, with the first facility slated to begin construction next year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Nov. 18, 2024. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Healey’s warning came following a report by the Commons Defence Committee, which said that the UK “lacks a plan for defending the homeland and overseas territories” as it urged the government to launch a “co-ordinated effort to communicate with the public on the level of threat we face,” the news outlet reported. 

The Yantar isn’t just part of a naval operation but part of Moscow’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, or GUGI, which primarily works in surveillance in peacetime and sabotage during conflicts. 

“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,” said Healey.