The Royal Navy has been closely monitoring the Russian spy ship Yantar as it passed through the English Channel, raising concerns about national security.

Officially labeled as a research vessel, Yantar is equipped to tamper with undersea cables and retrieve objects from deep-sea locations, a potential threat to vital infrastructure.

The HMS Somerset and HMS Tyne were deployed to shadow Yantar, with the Merlin helicopter covertly tracking the ship's movements near UK waters.

This isn’t Yantar’s first controversy; it was previously spotted lingering near critical UK infrastructure and has a history of espionage activities in European waters.

The UK has ramped up defenses, deploying advanced surveillance like P-8 Poseidon aircraft and activating AI systems like Nordic Warden to identify undersea threats.

As Yantar departed UK waters, Royal Navy officials reiterated their commitment to safeguarding undersea assets like data cables, pipelines, and power lines.