Royal Navy tracking Russian spy vessel in the Channel to keep UK safe
Source: gov.uk (2025-01-22)

The UK will also contribute maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft to bolster a NATO response after damage to undersea cables in the Baltic Sea

A Russian spy ship has been tracked this week in the English Channel by a Royal Navy warship - just weeks after it was caught loitering over critical undersea infrastructure in UK waters.

It comes after a Royal Navy submarine surfaced close to Yantar, the Russian vessel, to warn it had been secretly monitoring its every move.

In response to the warning from the Royal Navy in November, Yantar left UK waters for the Mediterranean but has this week returned, sailing through the Channel, where it was flanked by HMS Somerset.

The UK is playing a leading role in countering the growing Russian threat to offshore infrastructure in European seas.

As part of the UK’s ongoing work, the Royal Air Force will provide aircraft to a new NATO deployment designed to strengthen protection of offshore infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

The UK will provide P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft for the Baltic Sentry activity, which was announced following damage to the Estlink2 undersea cable between Estonia and Finland.

In response to that incident, the Prime Minister held talks with Estonian and Finnish counterparts as the UK activated Nordic Warden – an advanced new AI system to help monitor the Russian shadow fleet and safeguard undersea infrastructure.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said:

My message to President Putin is clear. We know what you are doing, and we will not shy away from robust action to protect Britain.

National security is our government’s first duty and a foundation of our Plan for Change. Alongside our Joint Expeditionary Force and NATO allies, we are strengthening our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft cannot operate in secrecy near UK or NATO territory.

We will continue to call out the malign activity that Putin directs, cracking down on the Russian shadow fleet to prevent funding for his illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Keeping the country safe is the Government’s first duty, and a foundation for its Plan for Change. Protecting undersea critical national infrastructure is vital to the country’s economy.

The UK has been ramping up its focus on protecting offshore infrastructure. An advanced new AI-assisted computer system was activated for the first time last month to monitor key areas of interest, drawing on a range of data sources to assess the risk to infrastructure posed by different ships.

When the Nordic Warden system detects a potential threat, it generates an alert which can be sent to Joint Expeditionary Force partners or to NATO to alert.

Nordic Warden is also monitoring vessels known to be part of Putin’s shadow fleet of ships used to attempt to bypass international sanctions – and help fund Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine – by moving Russian oil and gas to potential buyers.

The UK has led international efforts through a global alliance to disrupt the shadow fleet. As part of the initiative launched by the Prime Minister at the European Political Community last year, the UK has sanctioned 93 oil tankers which Putin has been using to soften the blow of sanctions and bankroll his illegal war.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which supports Royal Navy operations, is a key element of the UK’s strategy to safeguard offshore infrastructure, with its multi-role ocean surveillance ship, RFA Proteus, capable of deploying submersible drones to assess undersea cables and pipelines. Proteus was also involved in the shadowing of Yantar last November.