In the English Channel, the hunt for the Russian ship “Yantar” by the British navy, suspected of espionage

In the air and at sea, dangerous war games are intensifying between Russians and Westerners. This time, they pitted a vessel dispatched by Moscow and the Royal Navy against each other, in waters very close to the English coast. London thus revealed that the “spy ship” Liberate was tracked Monday in the English Channel, while he is suspected of being on a mission to locate submarine cables vital to the country.

The British Navy dispatched two ships — the frigate HMS Somerset and the patrol boat HMS Tyne — to monitor the spy ship « every minute », said John Healey, Minister of Defense. Maritime patrol aircraft were also deployed to « follow the slightest movements » of Liberate. The Russian boat entered the United Kingdom's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), approximately 45 miles from the British coast. According to John Healey, the ship's mission is to « gather intelligence and map the UK's critical underwater infrastructure ».

To the elected representatives of the House of Commons, John Healey declared that this deployment is « a new example of growing Russian aggression ». The Minister of Defense warned Vladimir Putin that London « would not hesitate to take strong measures to protect » the country. He revealed that he was forced to change the navy's rules of engagement, so that…