“WE SEE you. We know what you are doing. And we are ready.”

Strong words there from the UK’s Defence Secretary at the end of a press conference where he revealed that a Russian “spy vessel” had been operating off the north coast of Scotland last week.

Yantar was used to gather intelligence and map undersea cable networks. Its crew shone lasers at RAF aircraft tasked with tracking it, John Healey said.

Then over the weekend, the MoD confirmed that a Royal Navy vessel had “intercepted” a Russian product tanker and naval vessel, having shadowed it through the English Channel on the pair’s journey westwards.

HMS Severn handed over “monitoring duties” to a Nato ally off Brittany and continued to observe from a distance.

That all sounds very dramatic, doesn’t it? The word “intercepted” is maybe a bit strong. Neither Russian vessel was boarded by British forces, instead they were tracked from a distance as they transited through the channel.

It is also important to remember that neither vessel, ostensibly, was doing anything wrong. Innocent passage through a nation’s waters applies to commercial and military vessels alike, so as long as you don’t launch any aircraft or hang around too long, you’re well within your rights to have a leisurely jaunt through an adversary’s waters.

This behaviour from Russia in particular isn’t new, though the MoD said Russian vessels “threatening” UK waters have increased by 30% in the past two years.

But Healey’s words fit with a hardening response from Nato throughout the course of 2025. Every nation on the route from Ust-Luga out into the Atlantic has now committed to checking insurance of what they deem as shadow fleet tankers.

The results of these checks are unclear, if we’re being generous. Countries say the checks help to build up a surveillance picture and can inform future sanctions decisions. Others say that vessels can produce any old document when asked without fear of consequence. Having seen an example of what is being collected, that looks to be the modus operandi of choice by many.

The Russian embassy in London accused the British government of “whipping up militaristic hysteria”. Using the word “threatening” by the MoD is certainly a choice. Again, those Russian vessels are ostensibly doing nothing wrong.

As a perhaps completely unrelated (or very related) aside, Healey’s comments come days before Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her budget and with it the UK’s defence spending for the year.

Tensions are rising in northern Europe’s waters. It’s not too long ago that fighter jets were scrambled from both sides after Estonia intercepted a shadow fleet tanker.

It’s not difficult to envisage a similar situation occurring again soon.

Joshua Minchin
Senior reporter, Lloyd’s List

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