Defence secretary tells Commons the Yantar had been ‘mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure’

A Russian “spy ship” was tracked closely by the Royal Navy this week after it entered UK waters on Monday and passed through the Channel at a time of heightened concern about the safety of undersea cables.

The defence secretary, John Healey, told the Commons on Tuesday that the Yantar, a Russian vessel engaged in “mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure”, had passed through British waters for the second time in less than three months.