The Russian spy ship, designated Yantar, has been spotted by British authorities loitering near Scotland after entering British water intermittently over the previous weeks.
The British Ministry of Defense announced it’s findings on X following MP John Healy’s address to parliament, making transparent that Yantar has been in or near British territorial waters near the Northern end of the British Isles for sometime. Additionally, the crew of the Yantar have pointed low powered lasers at a Royal Navy P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft that was assigned to shadow the suspicious vessel.
The Yantar has been identified as a lingering threat to nearby under-sea telecommunications infrastructure, in particular sensitive under-sea cables responsible for general communications as well as internet traffic. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense reported that the presence of the Yantar is the second time this year that a Russian spy-vessel has operated in UK waters.
Royal Navy Frigate HMS Sommerset (F82) has also been sortied to continually monitor the Yantar‘s activities. Of particular concern is letting the Yantar conduct the mapping of key underwater cables uninterrupted, potentially allowing an intelligence inlet for the Russian Navy.
About Russian Research Vessel Yantar
The Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset (foreground) tracks the Russian survey and research vessel Yantar in waters close to the UK. This photo depicts the Yantar on her first incursion into UK waters in January of 2025. (Credit: Crown copyright/UK MoD, 2025)
The Yantar herself is a Russian Navy “research vessel” and the lead boat of the Project 22010 class of spy ships. As such, she has been spotted over the past decade conducting surveillance activities across the Atlantic, North, and Barents sea out of her, having previous run ins with the naval authorities of Brazil, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Currently, Severomorsk is Yantar‘s home port, with the vessel operating within the administrative bounds of Russia’s Northern fleet, making frequent trips south to conduct surveillance operations. She carries a suite of sensors including new set of radomes and submersible remote operated vehicles, a full complement of gear that allows her to surveil subsurface domains.
Russia’s Spying Campaign
Finnish Police and Border Guards transferring the Eagle S tanker to the Svartbeck inner anchorage near Porvoo in 2024. The Eagle S is rumored to be part of the Russian Shadow Fleet and was involved in a cable cutting incident last year. Finnish Border Guard picture.
The Yantar‘s presence off the coast of the United Kingdom is likely part of a larger Russian intelligence gathering and spying campaign across NATO. Over the past several months, there have been numerous drone sightings over key pieces of infrastructure in NATO countries, including airfields, commercial airports, military facilities, and energy infrastructure.
In conjunction with other assets, Russia’s shadow fleet of vessels (commercial vessels that travel with their transponder off) has been reported to have assisted in espionage efforts, launching and recovering drones and loitering near underwater cables.
Naval News previously reported on the deployment of the German Frigate Sachsen (F220) to Denmark in late September as part of an effort to help deter and detect any subsequent incursions into NATO territory, including by suspected shadow-fleet launched drones.