A Russian spy ship has been tracked this week in the English
Channel by a Royal Navy warship - just weeks after it was caught
loitering over critical undersea infrastructure in UK
waters.
It comes after a Royal Navy submarine surfaced close to Yantar,
the Russian vessel, to warn it had been secretly monitoring its
every move.
In response to the warning from the Royal Navy in November,
Yantar left UK waters for the Mediterranean but has this week
returned, sailing through the Channel, where it was flanked by
HMS Somerset.
The UK is playing a leading role in countering the growing
Russian threat to offshore infrastructure in European seas.
As part of the UK's ongoing work, the Royal Air Force will
provide aircraft to a new NATO deployment designed to strengthen
protection of offshore infrastructure in the Baltic
Sea.
The UK will provide P-8 Poseidon and Rivet Joint maritime patrol
and surveillance aircraft for the Baltic Sentry activity, which
was announced following damage to the Estlink2 undersea cable
between Estonia and Finland.
In response to that incident, the Prime Minister held talks with
Estonian and Finnish counterparts as the UK activated Nordic
Warden – an advanced new AI system to help monitor the Russian
shadow fleet and safeguard undersea infrastructure.
Defence Secretary MP
said:
“My message to President Putin is clear. We know what you are
doing, and we will not shy away from robust action to protect
Britain.
“National security is our government's first duty and a
foundation of our Plan for Change. Alongside our Joint
Expeditionary Force and NATO allies, we are strengthening
our response to ensure that Russian ships and aircraft
cannot operate in secrecy near UK or NATO territory.
“We will continue to call out the malign activity
that Putin directs, cracking down on the Russian shadow
fleet to prevent funding for his illegal invasion of
Ukraine.”
Keeping the country safe is the Government's first duty, and a
foundation for its Plan for Change. Protecting undersea
critical national infrastructure is vital to the country's
economy.
The UK has been ramping up its focus on protecting offshore
infrastructure. An advanced new AI-assisted computer system was
activated for the first time last month to monitor key areas of
interest, drawing on a range of data sources to assess the risk
to infrastructure posed by different ships.
When the Nordic Warden system detects a potential threat, it
generates an alert which can be sent to Joint Expeditionary Force
partners or to NATO to alert.
Nordic Warden is also monitoring vessels known to be part of
Putin's shadow fleet of ships used to attempt to bypass
international sanctions – and help fund Russia's illegal war in
Ukraine – by moving Russian oil and gas to potential
buyers.
The UK has led international efforts through a global alliance to
disrupt the shadow fleet. As part of the initiative launched by
the Prime Minister at the European Political Community last year,
the UK has sanctioned 93 oil tankers which Putin has been using
to soften the blow of sanctions and bankroll his illegal
war.
The Royal Fleet Auxiliary, which supports Royal Navy operations,
is a key element of the UK's strategy to safeguard offshore
infrastructure, with its multi-role ocean surveillance ship, RFA
Proteus, capable of deploying submersible drones to assess
undersea cables and pipelines. Proteus was also involved in the
shadowing of Yantar last November.
