RUSSIA taunted Britain as one of Vladimir Putin’s spy ships was seen lurking off the UK coast near pipelines and internet cables.
It came as elsewhere RAF fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian warplane over the North Sea on Friday.
SWNSYantar is believed to be a key spy ship for Putin[/caption]
AFPPutin’s ships and planes have been active around the UK[/caption]
Royal Navy warships and RAF Poseidon spy planes shadowed the Russian spy ship Yantar which had steamed into the Irish Sea.
The research ship was spotted lurking over cables midway between Dublin and Liverpool on Thursday.
And it came days after a warship armed with hypersonic missiles passed through the Channel.
HMS Iron Duke shadowed the Russian Admiral Golovko as it conducted what Moscow called counter-terrorism drills.
Yantar was sailing with the Golkovo – described as Putin’s “most dangerous” ship – before breaking off and sailing into the Irish Sea.
It is understood she is now being monitored by recon planes and minehunter HMS Cattistock, reports Navy Lookout.
Yantar is believed to be armed with state-of-the-art stealth subs designed to interfere with key communication infrastructure.
It has previously been warned that vital undersea cables could be used to cripple Britain.
Yantar – a 5,700-ton vessel – briefly activated its Automatic Identification System (AIS) on Thursday to reveal its location.
The Project 22010-class intelligence ship has previously been monitored as she has often lingered around the coast of the UK.
She can deploy Rus and Konsul-class mini-subs that can plunge to depths of 20,000ft.
Her official designation is an oceanic research vessel working for Russia‘s deepsea sciences division.
But many Western officials believe this is a flimsy cover for her real role as a spy ship.
The vessels are operated by a shadowy branch of the Russian military that answers directly to Putin.
The mini-subs deployed by the ships use robotic arms to tamper with or even cut key cables.
It is feared such an act could have potentially devastating consequences.
Meanwhile, two Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray monitored a Russian Bear-F aircraft as it flew over the North Sea on Thursday.
The Russian reconnaissance plane had been detected in the UK’s area of interest but at no time was it able to enter UK sovereign airspace.
Our adversaries should be in no doubt of our steadfast determination and formidable ability to protect the UK
Luke Pollard
Putin’s taunting of Britain comes as the world awaits to see what new US President Donald Trump‘s strategy will be on Ukraine and Russia.
Russia has been waging a brutal war for nearly 1,000 days – with Kyiv putting up a valiant fight backed by the West.
Trump however could take a new approach as he boasted he could end the war in days once he returns to the White House.
It is believed he may force a peace deal or threaten to withdraw US support from Ukraine.
Luke Pollard, Minister for the Armed Forces, said: “Our adversaries should be in no doubt of our steadfast determination and formidable ability to protect the UK.
“The Royal Navy and RAF have once again shown they stand ready to defend our country at a moment’s notice and I pay tribute to the professionalism and bravery of those involved in these latest operations.”
It is understood this is the second time in three months the Royal Navy and RAF have detected Russian ships and aircraft within a week of each other.
ROYAL NAVYMinehunter HMS Cattistock is understood to now be monitoring Yantar[/caption]
PAThe RAF also intercepted a Russian Bear-F recon plane (stock image)[/caption]
GettyRAF Typhoons are regularly scrambled to intercept the Russians[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
