The UK Defence Secretary has reported that a Russian vessel, identified as the Yantar, allegedly used lasers to disrupt Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots tracking its activities near UK waters. This is the first reported instance of the Yantar employing such a tactic.
The Defence Secretary stated that the UK government considers this "deeply dangerous" incident to be of "extremely serious" concern. At the time of the alleged event, the Yantar was reportedly being monitored by a Royal Navy frigate and RAF Poseidon P-8 aircraft. Previously, on November 6, the Dutch Navy had escorted the Yantar out of the North Sea, where it was operating near Dutch territorial waters.
Russia officially describes the Yantar, operated by its Ministry of Defence, as an oceanic research vessel.
Separately, the Defence Secretary also conveyed the UK government's differing perspective from a committee regarding America's commitment to NATO, noting that defence talks are ongoing.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24028k7edo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss