UK says ‘military options ready’ as Russian ship uses lasers against RAF pilots

British defense minister John Healey says that “military options” are ready should the Russian spy ship Yantar become a threat, after the vessel directed lasers at British pilots sent to monitor it.

Britain’s Royal Navy and Royal Air Force (RAF) routinely shadow potential threats to national security, and such missions to monitor Russian vessels and submarines have become more frequent since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. The Yantar, designed for intelligence gathering and mapping underseas cables, is currently on the edge of British waters, north of Scotland, he said.

Healey says directing lasers at RAF pilots is “deeply dangerous” and Britain is poised to react depending on the Yantar’s next move.

“We have military options ready should the Yantar change course,” Healey says. “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.”