For two days, the Royal Navy deployed HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne to monitor the vessel "every minute through our waters," as well as changing the rules of engagement so the warships could get closer.Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Russian spy ship entered UK waters – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

LONDON — The Royal Navy monitored a Russian spy ship after it entered U.K. waters, British Defense Secretary John Healey said Wednesday.

In a statement to British lawmakers, Healey confirmed the foreign vessel, called Yantar, was currently in the North Sea after passing through British waters.

"Let me be clear, this is a Russian spy ship used for gathering intelligence and mapping the U.K.'s critical underwater infrastructure," he said, stating it entered the U.K.'s exclusive economic zone about 45 miles off the British coast Monday.