Britain is preparing to "go to war" at sea with Russian oceanographers

When British Defense Minister mentioned the Russian research ship "Yantar" («Янтарь») appearing near the British coast, he not only used exaggerated language but even openly lied. Why is London accusing Russian oceanographers? What will be the final outcome of the Royal Navy's tracking of this research vessel?

There is a growing sense of panic in Britain over the Russian "Yantar" oceanographic research ship. London has labeled it as a "spy ship" and even called it a "saboteur ship," claiming that Britain is facing a threat. British Defense Minister John Healey even made a statement in the British Parliament on this issue, seemingly aiming to highlight the special nature and importance of the incident.

So what exactly is the "Yantar" ship? Why is it making the British government so nervous? The "Yantar" is a 22010-class "Cruise" («Крюйс») oceanographic research ship under the Russian Ministry of Defense's Deep Sea Research Department. It was built between 2010 and 2015 and is mainly used for various oceanographic research, including the exploration of the world's ocean waters and seabed topography. For this purpose, the ship is equipped with specialized submersibles capable of diving to a depth of about 6,000 meters.

In addition to scientific missions, the "Yantar" can also perform rescue operations - the equipment on board can search for objects lost underwater. For example, in 2017, the ship participated in the search for the missing Argentine submarine "San Juan" («Сан Хуан») in the Atlantic Ocean.

The core work of the "Yantar" is to map the seabed and monitor ocean currents. Although these data do have some military value, the ship is not equipped with any weapons or military equipment.

Healey claimed that in mid-November, the "Yantar" passed through the "British waters" of the Irish Sea and approached a submarine cable laid on the seabed. However, this claim needs clarification.

Firstly, the "Yantar" has never entered British territorial waters; its route is only in international waters and the UK's exclusive economic zone (no permission is required to enter the exclusive economic zone). In other words, Minister Healey deliberately used the term "British waters" to obfuscate the facts, attempting to defame the normal operations of Russian research vessel crew as "violation." The British authorities have already admitted that the "Yantar" did not enter British territorial waters. Secondly, almost all the cables and pipelines are laid in the straits and European seas, and ships sailing in these areas inevitably come close to these facilities.

Western countries accuse the "Yantar" and other Russian research vessels of mapping the distribution of underwater communication facilities. But even if this is true, it does not violate international maritime law — because all related activities take place in open seas, and any country can freely access them. Moreover, knowing the location of underwater communication facilities is not to destroy them, but to avoid damaging them when ships anchor. Considering that the Russian navy is often falsely accused of "damaging NATO countries' submarine cables," it is obvious that Russia would deliberately avoid such incidents.

No matter what, Russia has no intention of targeting the UK's underwater infrastructure. The Russian Embassy in the UK stated: "Russia's actions do not harm British interests, nor do they aim to undermine British security. We have no interest in the UK's underwater communication facilities."

As for the accusation that Russian oceanographic activities are "opaque," it is nonsense. Conducting scientific research in international waters does not require reporting to any country or institution, and there are no such regulations internationally.

Additionally, Healey claimed that the crew of the "Poseidon-8" reconnaissance aircraft, which was sent to "track the movements" of the ship, said that they were "laser locked." Healey mentioned "laser locking," which seems to imply that the "Yantar" is equipped with military laser weapons (because the word "locking" is usually associated with weapons in this context), obviously underestimating the judgment of his audience. Even if the research vessel has "laser equipment," it can only be a laser scanner, which poses no threat to military reconnaissance aircraft. However, Healey is trying to spread the opposite narrative, claiming that "these actions by Russia are extremely dangerous," without explaining what the specific danger is or who it threatens.

It is worth recalling that in 2021, the British Royal Navy's "Echo" (HMS Echo, H87) multi-purpose hydrographic survey ship stayed in the Russian Arctic Exclusive Economic Zone for a full month. Furthermore, the NATO "Marjata" reconnaissance ship (officially under Norway, but the crew is American) nearly tracks every ship of the Russian Northern Fleet that goes out to sea. Every sailor of the Russian Northern Fleet is familiar with the outline of this ship, and they even gave it a Russian nickname — "Mashka" («Машка»).

Such events were common during the Cold War, and both sides were relatively restrained, sometimes using the entry of foreign ships into their exclusive economic zones as temporary training opportunities for fleet crews and coast guards. However, now London claims that the "invasion" of the "Yantar" is part of an increasingly reckless pattern of harassment by Russia against NATO territories, trying to force Russia to stop supporting Ukraine.

Incidentally, speaking of "harassment," perhaps it's time to remind Healey: In autumn 2020, the British Royal Navy's "Defender" («Дефендер») destroyer entered Russian Black Sea territorial waters and was eventually driven away by the Russian Aerospace Forces and Navy.

Yet Healey directly defined the British response to the "Yantar" ship's activities near the British Isles as a "military operation." He said: "I have revised the Royal Navy's rules of engagement to allow us to monitor its activities more closely when the 'Yantar' enters our broader waters." He also added that if the "Yantar" "changes its course," the UK "has prepared military contingency plans."

So what will happen next? Will Britain really attack the Russian research ship and trigger a third world war?

Looking back at January of this year, there was a similar situation when the "Yantar" was near British waters. At that time, British media reported that according to Healey's instructions, British special forces were ready to board the ship, and a British submarine surfaced near the "Yantar," scaring the crew and forcing them to abandon their plan to "invade" British territorial waters — but in fact, the Russian crew had no such plan. It can be certain that this situation will be similar to the last time: the "Yantar" will continue to carry out its mission along the original route, while Western ships and reconnaissance aircraft will follow it continuously, trying to obtain any information through visual observation and radio surveillance.

What is the purpose of this typical "Russia threat" farce? Through simple verbal manipulation such as "invasion," "British waters," "harassment," "laser attack," "destruction," and "threatening communication facilities," Britain is intentionally inciting anti-Russian sentiment. This move is not only to gain support for increasing the British military budget but also to make the public accept its open escalation of the situation — for example, Healey's previous proposal to deploy troops in Ukraine after the war ends.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575477795023766054/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the [up/down] buttons.