UK Defence Secretary John Healey said Russia remains the most urgent and immediate threat to Britain and added that any threat to his country will be met with strength and determination.
According to foreign media, a British Royal Navy attack submarine encountered a Russian spy ship off the coast of the United Kingdom.
A British submarine reportedly issued an extraordinary warning to a Russian ship to stop it from spying on British undersea cables, the Defence Secretary has revealed.
John Healey, in a highly unusual statement to MPs, said the incident with HMS Astute occurred in November, but the Russian research vessel, called Yantar, then returned to UK waters this week.
To counter the first espionage mission, which passed through Cornish waters, he said he changed the navy's rules of engagement to enable British warships and submarines to approach the ship and better track its activities, writes A2 CNN.
In a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mr Healey said: "We see you. We know what you are doing. And we will not shy away from strong action to defend this country."
It is very rare for the United Kingdom to reveal details about the movements of its secret fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
A decision to tell Parliament that one of the submarines had appeared near the surveillance ship underlines the extreme seriousness with which the UK views Russian activity in November and again this week. (A2 Televizion)
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