In a significant escalation of diplomatic tensions, the United Kingdom has accused a Russian intelligence vessel of targeting Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots with lasers. The incident occurred near the UK’s exclusive economic zone north of Scotland, where the Russian ship Yantar was reportedly conducting intelligence-gathering operations. Defence Secretary John Healey, in a speech in London, confirmed that an RAF Poseidon P-8 aircraft was deployed to monitor the vessel and that its crew reported being targeted by laser beams. Healey described the incident as part of a broader pattern of increasingly aggressive Russian behavior, including recent drone incursions into NATO airspace and acts of sabotage across Europe. The Russian Embassy in London dismissed the accusations as “provocative,” asserting that the Yantar is an oceanographic research vessel operating legally in international waters. This marks the second time this year the UK has publicly called out the Yantar for activities linked to Russia’s secretive deep-sea intelligence unit, GUGI, but the first time Britain has accused Russia of directing lasers at its aircraft.