UK says “military options ready” as Russian ship uses lasers against RAF pilots

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — A British Royal Air Force (RAF) F-35B Lightning prepares for takeoff, 2018. (UK Defense Ministry photo via Wikimedia Commons)

LONDON  -  British defence minister John Healey said on Wednesday 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. 

Healey said directing lasers at RAF pilots was "deeply dangerous" and Britain was poised to react depending on the Yantar's next move.

"We have military options ready should the Yantar change course," Healey said.

The Yantar, designed for intelligence gathering and mapping underseas cables, is currently on the edge of British waters, north of Scotland, he said.

"This is the first time we've had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF. We take it extremely seriously," Healey said.

"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."

 (Reporting by Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Paul Sandle // REUTERS)