Carmichael writes to Defence Secretary on Russian vessel north of Scotland

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today written to the Defence Secretary John Healey, calling for clarity on the location and activities of Russian spy vessel Yantar.

During a press conference this morning, the Defense Secretary stated that the Yantar was north of Scotland and had entered UK waters for the second time this year during the last few weeks. Mr Healey added that the vessel had shone lasers at military pilots monitoring the ship, and warned the UK was facing a “new era of threat” from hostile countries.

The latest foray by the Yantar is part of a pattern of Russian incursions into Nato-controlled territory, including Russian drones recently being flown over Poland. The Yantar previously entered UK waters in January, when it was tracked by a nuclear-powered submarine, which then surfaced very close to it.

It is believed that the Yantar was trying to map British undersea cables. The incursion comes days before a summit on telecommunications resilience, connected to the reliability of sub-sea cables, will be hosted by Alistair Carmichael and Beatrice Wishart in Shetland.

Mr Carmichael said:

“We need clarity from the government on the location and activities of the Yantar. This would not, after all, be the first time we have seen a Russian military vessel enter waters near Orkney and Shetland, nor will it be the last.

“The fact that this vessel is understood to have been close to subsea cables should be or particular concern, as should the Yantar’s use of lasers to disrupt the RAF pilots tracking it. Protecting our waters and our telecommunication infrastructure from the operations of rogue nations like Russia is not just a local issue but a national one.

“We must have answers from the Government as to how they plan to ensure incidents like these will not happen again, and that Russian incursions in the north of Scotland will not be let off scot-free.”