A Russian intelligence-gathering vessel has been monitored just outside UK territorial waters, British Defence Secretary John Healey has said, warning Moscow that Britain “is ready” for any further escalation.

Speaking at Downing Street on Wednesday, John Healey said: “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 our undersea cables," he added.

“We deployed a Royal Navy frigate and RAF (Royal Air Force) planes to monitor and track this vessel's every move, during which the Yantar directed lasers at our pilots,” he continued.

“We are ready”

“That Russian action is deeply dangerous, and this is the second time this year that this ship, the Yantar, has deployed to UK waters.

So my message to Russia and to (President Vladimir) Putin is this: we see you, we know what you're doing, and if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready,” he warned.

"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."

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’s military offensive against Ukraine in 2022.

Western governments have repeatedly accused Russia of operating a ‘shadow fleet’ and deploying spy vessels to monitor critical undersea infrastructure, allegations that Moscow routinely dismisses as unfounded or remains silent on.