“I would like Putin to hear this message: we see you.” The British Ministry of Defense said that a Russian “spy ship” entered British waters

British Defense Secretary John Healey said that the Russian oceanographic ship Yantar entered British territorial waters. His words are quoted by BBC News.

According to him, on January 20, the Yantar was spotted 45 miles off the British coast in the English Channel. He was escorted by two ships of the British Navy.

The BBC publication called the Yantar a “spy ship.” Healy said the incident was another example of "growing Russian aggression." “I would like President Putin to hear this message: We see you, we know what you are doing, and we will not shy away from taking decisive action to defend our country,” the defense minister said.

Healy also added that this is the second time in recent months that the Yantar has entered British territorial waters. In November it was reported that a Russian ship had been escorted out of the Irish Sea after being on "patrol" in the area of ​​critical undersea pipelines and cables.

• Russia insists that Yantar contains exclusively peaceful research equipment. At the same time, back in 2015, the US Navy said that the descent vehicles on board the Yantar were capable of cutting, for example, Internet cables. The BBC Russian Service wrote that this ship is equipped with surveillance equipment, as well as special deep-sea manned and autonomous uninhabited underwater vehicles.