UK warns Putin over Russian spy ship

The British Army says “military options” are on the table after a Russian ship long suspected of mapping the UK’s undersea cables targeted British pilots in patrol planes with lasers

YANTAR: Part of Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI), which reports directly to Russia’s defence ministry

Described by Moscow as oceanic research vessel

Radar Dome

Length: 107.8 metresHelipadAntennae

Thrusters: Allows ship to loiter in position

Hangar: For two deep-sea submersibles capable reaching depths of 6,000 metres – almost twice as deep as wreck of Titanic

ROV launch and control tower

Area believed to be where Yantar used lasers to disrupt RAF pilots

SCOTLAND
ATLANTIC OCEAN
NORTH SEA
UK
SWEDEN
GERMANY
NETHERLANDS
IRELAND
FRANCE
BELGIUM
DENMARK

Konsul-class submersibles
AS-37 Rus, AS-39 Consul

Crew:
Endurance:
Max. depth:
2-3 people
10-12 hours
6,000m

8.4m

100km
60 miles

Yantar’s past sightings
Hydraulic manipulators
Nov 2024
Jan 2025
Undersea cables


NATO has identified deep-sea cables as critical global infrastructure that could be targeted through hybrid warfare

Sources: Reuters, BBC, Royal Navy, Global Security, TeleGeography, The Insider
Picture: MoD
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