Yantar: How Serious Is the Russian Spy Ship Move?

Background on the Russian Spy Ship Yantar

To Russia, the Yantar is an oceanic research vessel. However, to other countries, including the United Kingdom, it is suspected of being a spy ship. The vessel has long been under scrutiny for its potential role in secretly mapping out Britain’s crucial undersea cables, which carry more than 90% of global data traffic and billions of dollars worth of financial transactions.

Recent Incidents Involving the Yantar

The latest escalation involves reports that sailors on board the Yantar targeted Royal Air Force pilots in patrol planes with lasers. According to Defence Secretary John Healey, this act is “deeply dangerous” and illegal under UK law, potentially leading to prison time for those responsible.

Healey’s statement was a direct message to Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin: “We see you. We know what you’re doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready.” This implies that should the Yantar cross inside Britain’s 12-mile maritime boundary, there would be a military response.

Historical Context and Ongoing Concerns

This isn’t the first time the Yantar has been near British shores. Earlier in the year, a Royal Navy submarine surfaced right in front of it as a deterrent measure. The ongoing concern is that this operation by the Kremlin is part of an effort to locate and map vital undersea cables and pipelines connecting Britain to the rest of the world.

It fits into a broader pattern of Russian activity, including recent drone incursions across Europe and Russian warplanes flying into NATO airspace. For instance, in September, three Russian fighter jets entered Estonian skies without permission, prompting Italy, Finland, and Sweden to scramble their jets under NATO’s mission to bolster its eastern flank.

Strategic Implications for Britain

As an island nation, Britain heavily relies on its network of undersea cables that carry data. There are also vital oil and gas pipelines connecting the UK to North Sea neighbors such as Norway. These cables and pipes are largely undefended but of great interest to Russia’s research vessels.

NATO has identified deep-sea cables as part of critical infrastructure, warning that adversaries could exploit them through sabotage or hybrid warfare, threatening both civilian and military communications. Retired Royal Navy Commander Tom Sharpe highlighted the potential threat: “The most obvious one is they sit above our cables and our critical undersea infrastructure and they nose around in the cables that transfer up to $7tn worth of financial transactions every day between us and America alone.”

Russian Denials and International Reactions

While Moscow describes the Yantar as a research vessel, it is part of Russia’s secretive Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI), which reports directly to the defence ministry. The ship is equipped with high-tech communication tools, but what we can’t see is most concerning: it operates remotely-piloted miniature submarines capable of diving thousands of metres below the surface and mapping locations of cables.

Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey has warned that any foreign vessel operating in British waters must comply with UK national laws and international maritime conventions. The cornerstone of these rules, according to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), is that a ship’s passage is “innocent” — meaning it doesn’t threaten peace or security.

Russia’s Embassy in London has condemned Healey’s statement as provocative and denied undermining UK security. However, this situation occurs amid ongoing war in Ukraine, where Putin blames the West for the conflict and shows no intention of ceasing hostilities soon.

Additional reporting by Tiffany Wertheimer and Stuart Hughes