Tensions: “Russian spy ship” in the Channel: London threatens Moscow!

The Kremlin on Thursday refused to comment on the recent detection, according to London, of a Russian spy ship in British waters, with Westerners suspecting Moscow of seeking to sabotage Western underwater infrastructure.

“I do not have any information (…) so I refrain from commenting,” Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitri Peskov told the press. The Russian military ship Yantar entered British waters on Monday and was spotted that day in the English Channel, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

The minister, John Healey, warned President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that London would not hesitate to take “strong action to protect the United Kingdom”.

The Russian ship, which is now in the North Sea, is “used to gather intelligence and map the United Kingdom’s essential underwater infrastructure,” he told MPs on Wednesday.

The Yantar had already been detected a few weeks ago above submarine cables in British waters, the British Ministry of Defense also indicated.

Several underwater telecommunications and power cables have been damaged in recent months in the Baltic Sea. European leaders and experts suspect acts of sabotage orchestrated by Russia.

NATO will deploy ships, planes and drones in the Baltic Sea in response to this damage to submarine cables, its Secretary General, Mark Rutte, announced last week.