MILITARY plans are being drawn up to repel a Russian spy ship which tried to blind RAF pilots with lasers off the coast of Britain.
Tyrant was warned his Yantar surveillance vessel would be engaged if she returns to our waters.
A Royal Navy Royal ship patrolling near the Russian vesselCredit: AFP
Vladimir Putin was warned that his ship would be engaged if it returns to UK watersCredit: AP
The Russian ship was tracked off British watersCredit: Reuters
Defence Secretary should the enemy ship — which is still lurking north of Scotland — cross back into UK territorial waters.
He said yesterday: “My message to and to Putin is this: ‘We see you. We know what you’re doing. If the Yantar travels South this week, we are ready’.”
Mr Healey said he had “military options ready” and had ramped up patrols in the area.
At a press conference, he revealed the Yantar’s crew had shone a dazzling laser at Poseidon P-8 planes.
We have military options ready should the Yantar change course.
Defence Secretary John Healey
The “highly dangerous act” is understood to have happened last week when they were scrambled alongside frigates to track the vessel.
The powerful lasers were visible to the naked eye and appeared to be designed to distract the pilots and blind surveillance cameras on the reconnaissance aircraft.
Mr Healey said: “Clearly, anything that impedes, disrupts or puts at risk pilots in charge of British military planes is deeply dangerous.
“This is the first time we’ve had this action from Yantar directed against the British RAF.
“We take it extremely seriously. I’ve 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.
“We have military options ready should the Yantar change course.
“I’m not going to reveal those, because that only makes President Putin wiser.”
denied claims it was seeking to spy on underwater cables and accused ministers of being “Russophobic” and “whipping up militaristic hysteria”.
It is the second time the Yantar has entered the UK’s exclusion zone in a year. Mr Healey said the vessel is designed to carry out surveillance and sabotage.
Defence Secretary John Healey vowed our troops would respond should the enemy ship dare come backCredit: AFP
The 107metre-long ship weighs in at more than 5,500 tonnes and has a crew of up to 60.
It carries kit able to slice through undersea cables and has two manned subs that can dive to 6,000 metres, and a fleet of remote-operated craft.
The Yantar was previously spotted in January loitering near British offshore cables, before being challenged by frigate HMS Somerset and patrol vessel HMS Tyne.
Moscow aggression
The Russian ship was also at the beginning of November — prompting the Dutch military to escort her back out to sea.
The latest episode sparked calls for a “more assertive retaliation” against aggression.
Matt Western, chairman of Parliament’s National Security Committee, said the UK should be “more muscular” in deterring Russian threats.
We’ve seen Russian incursions into Nato airspace double and we’ve seen 90,000 cyber attacks on the UK defence system alone.
Defence Secretary John Healey
Mr Healey insisted Britain must “step up” our defences in a “new era of hard power”.
He said: “Our world is changing. It is less predictable. It is more dangerous.
“We’ve also seen , we’ve seen Russian incursions into airspace double and we’ve seen 90,000 cyber attacks on the UK defence system alone.”
Mr Healey later headed to Plymouth to visit a factory producing AI-powered mini submarines.
Defence firm Helsing is due to start Navy trials soon.
The plant, funded with £350million of private investment, is the UK’s first “national resilience factory”.
The Russian Yantar surveillance vesselCredit: AFP
Meanwhile, Mr Healey hit out at Brussels for dragging its heels on a long-promised defence pact.
The EU announced the Security Action for initiative in May.
Member states will be able to get loans from a £150billion fund.
Britain has offered £1billion to join but is reportedly pushing for £5billion.
Mr Healey said: “We have been negotiating, ready for a deal.
“We are ready to be part of this scheme, but we’re not ready to be willing at any price.”
KYIV ARMY CUT IN PEACE DEAL
UKRAINE will be forced to cut the size of its army under a reported peace deal agreed between Donald Trump and Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelensky was told by the White House that he must give up territory and weapons and reduce his armed forces, sources say.
But there will be security guarantees for Ukraine under the secret 28-point plan.
Meanwhile, three children were among at least 25 killed in Russian missile and drone attacks on two apartment blocks in Ternopil, western Ukraine.
A Royal Navy ship tracks the Russian Yantar spyship earlier this year
Defence Secretary John Healey giving a press conferenceCredit: Getty 
