Russian spy ship caught off Brit coast ‘lurking around pipelines & internet cables’ as UK warships & planes keep watch

RUSSIA taunted Britain arsenic 1 of Vladimir Putin's spy ships was seen lurking disconnected the UK seashore adjacent pipelines and net cables.

It came arsenic elsewhere RAF combatant jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian warplane implicit the North Sea.

Royal Navy warships and RAF Poseidon spy planes shadowed the Russian spy vessel Yantar which had steamed into the Irish Sea.

The probe vessel was spotted lurking implicit cables midway betwixt Dublin and Liverpool.

And it came days aft a warship equipped with hypersonic missiles passed done the Channel.

HMS Iron Duke shadowed the Russian Admiral Golovko arsenic it conducted what Moscow called counter-terrorism drills.

Yantar was sailing with the Golkovo - described arsenic Putin's "most dangerous" vessel - earlier breaking disconnected and sailing into the Irish Sea.

It is understood she is present being monitored by recon planes and minehunter HMS Cattistock, reports Navy Lookout.

Yantar is believed to beryllium equipped with state-of-the-art stealth subs designed to interfere with cardinal connection infrastructure.

It has antecedently been warned that captious undersea cables could beryllium utilized to cripple Britain.

Yantar - a 5,700-ton vas - concisely activated its Automatic Identification System (AIS) connected Thursday to uncover its location.

The Project 22010-class quality vessel has antecedently been monitored arsenic she has often lingered astir the seashore of the UK.

She tin deploy Rus and Konsul-class mini-subs that tin plunge to depths of 20,000ft.

Her authoritative designation is an oceanic probe vas moving for Russia's deepsea sciences division.

But galore Western officials judge this is simply a flimsy screen for her existent relation arsenic a spy ship.

The vessels are operated by a shadowy subdivision of the Russian subject that answers straight to Putin.

The mini-subs deployed by the ships usage robotic arms to tamper with oregon adjacent chopped cardinal cables.

It is feared specified an enactment could person perchance devastating consequences.

Meanwhile, 2 Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth successful Moray monitored a Russian Bear-F craft arsenic it flew implicit the North Sea connected Thursday.

The Russian reconnaissance level had been detected successful the UK's country of involvement but astatine nary clip was it capable to participate UK sovereign airspace.

Putin's taunting of Britain comes arsenic the satellite awaits to spot what caller US President Donald Trump's strategy volition beryllium connected Ukraine and Russia.

Russia has been waging a brutal warfare for astir 1,000 days - with Kyiv putting up a valiant combat backed by the West.

Trump nevertheless could instrumentality a caller attack arsenic helium boasted helium could extremity the warfare successful days erstwhile helium returns to the White House.

It is believed helium whitethorn unit a bid woody oregon endanger to retreat US enactment from Ukraine.

Luke Pollard, Minister for the Armed Forces, said: "Our adversaries should beryllium successful nary uncertainty of our steadfast determination and formidable quality to support the UK.

"The Royal Navy and RAF person erstwhile again shown they basal acceptable to support our state astatine a moment's announcement and I wage tribute to the professionalism and bravery of those progressive successful these latest operations."

It is understood this is the 2nd clip successful 3 months the Royal Navy and RAF person detected Russian ships and craft wrong a week of each other.