The Royal Navy Confirms Russian Yantar Loitering The British Waters
26th Jan 2025
The Russian Yantar surveillance ship’s loitering of the British waters has been officially confirmed by the Royal Navy after its activities in the region a few days ago. This will be the second time in about three months that the UK is observing Yantar’s activities on British waters.
Russian Yantar Spotted Twice On British Waters By The Royal Navy
On 20 January 2025, the UK Royal Navy spotted a Russian surveillance ship known as Yantar in British waters. From official reports on this sighting, we learn that the surveillance ship was about 45 nautical miles away from the British coast.
This is the second time in three months that this same ship has been spotted by the Royal Navy in British waters. UK Defence Secretary John Healy pointed this fact out to the parliament in a recent sitting.
Healy clearly stated that “in November, the ship was also closely watched as it was detected loitering over U.K. critical undersea infrastructure.” To deter the ship from the British waters Healy ordered the Royal Navy to surface a nuclear-powered submarine close to Yantar hence forcing the ship to depart from UK waters.
Following this altercation in November 2024, Yantar is back again on UK waters. While the recent entry of Yantar into UK waters “has complied with international rules of navigation,” there is a need for adequate preventive measures to curtail the activities of the ship.
According to John Healy, some steps have been taken by his office and the Royal Navy to closely monitor this ship. Some adjustments to the “Royal Navy’s Rules of Engagement” have been made, as well as the deployment of HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to better monitor Yantar.
Why Is Russian Yantar’s Presence On UK Waters A Cause For Concern?
The Russian Yantar is one of the country’s surveillance ships that it uses to monitor the waterways of various rival regions. John Healy points out that Russia uses this ship for “gathering intelligence and mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure.”
The presence of this type of ship on any country’s waterways is a security concern. Despite Yantar’s compliance with international rules of navigation, its presence in UK waters is to be dealt with cautiously.
Analysts believe that the Russian Shadow fleet, of which Yantar is a part, is responsible for the damage to the Estlink2 undersea cable between Finland and Estonia. This damage occurred on 25 December 2024 just a month after the spotting of Yantar’s presence on UK waters.
So far, the Royal Navy has been able to keep an eye on Yantar’s navigation, hence warding it off UK waters. By keeping an eye on the movement of Yantar and other Russian spy vessels, the armed forces will be able to ensure the safety of the UK.
Thank you for your comment! It will be visible on the site after moderation.