Russian spy ship aimed lasers at RAF pilots tracking it near UK waters

Hours after a damning report claimed the UK lacks a plan to defend itself against foreign military attacks, John Healey said the research vessel Yantar had been spotted north of Scotland.

The boat, operated by Russia's elusive deep-sea research unit GUGI, is designed to gather intelligence and map out undersea cables.

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Revealing the ship's location at a Downing Street press conference Mr Healey said: "As I speak a Russian spy ship, the Yantar, is on the edge of UK waters, north of Scotland, having entered the UK's wider waters over the last few weeks. This is a vessel designed for gathering intelligence and mapping out undersea cables.

"We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF plans to monitor and track this vessel's every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots. That Russian action is deeply dangerous, and this is the second time this year that this ship began to deploy to UK waters.

"So 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're ready."

The incident is the second time in a year the Yantar has been sighted in waters close to Britain. Last November, the ship was sent packing after "loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure"

Mr Healey said that actions to intercept and monitor the boat again were a "demonstration of a British readiness to act, a British capability to act."

He added: "It isn't just a naval operation - it's part of a Russian programme... that is designed to have capabilities which can undertake surveillance in peacetime and sabotage in conflict.

"Make no mistake: we will not tolerate a threat to the British people's essential connections underwater."

Both Poland and Romania launched jets overnight in response to a Russian bombardment in western Ukraine near their borders.

Russia unleashed 470 attack drones and 48 missiles across Ukraine, striking the western cities of Lviv and Ternopil.

Two German Eurofighters and two Romanian F-16 fighter jets were scrambled as Romania’s defence ministry warned citizens in the southeastern counties of Tulcea and Galati to take cover.

The ministry said radar first picked up the signal of a drone 8 km inside national airspace.

Earlier today in a damning report MPs said that Britain wasn't prepared to defend itself from a military attack. The government promised to boost readiness with new factories to make munitions and military explosives.

Defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC: “We are seeing our adversaries increasingly work together and invest in their militaries.

“That’s why we are investing more in our defence industries, more in our armed forces.“We do need to do more, and we do need to go faster.”

In June, the MoD committed £1.5 billion of additional defence investment for energetics and munitions. The Government is committed to building at least six new munitions and energetics factories before the next election, creating at least 1,000 jobs.

Mr Healey will announce the opening of two new drone factories this week in Plymouth and Swindon this week.

The challenges facing the Government and defence industry were laid bare in the parliamentary committee’s report.“

The UK lacks a plan for defending the homeland and overseas territories,” the MPs warned as they called for the public to be given more information about the scale of the threat and the response that is required.

The committee’s chairman, Labour’s Tan Dhesi, said: “Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, unrelenting disinformation campaigns, and repeated incursions into European airspace mean that we cannot afford to bury our heads in the sand.”

He added: “We have repeatedly heard concerns about the UK’s ability to defend itself from attack. Government must be willing to grasp the nettle and prioritise homeland defence and resilience.“In achieving this, Government cannot shy away from direct engagement with the public.

“Wars aren’t won just by generals but by the whole of the population getting behind the armed forces and playing our part.

“There needs to be a co-ordinated effort to communicate with the public on the level of threat we face and what to expect in the event of conflict."