Britain said it monitored a Russian spy ship in the English Channel in recent days and would strengthen its response to secret operations by Russian ships and aircraft in an effort to protect undersea cables.

The nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine surfaced close to the Yantar to let the Russian ship know it was being watched.

A Royal Navy submarine was authorized to surface close to a Russian ship "strictly as a deterrent measure," British Defense Secretary John Healey said.

The Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian spy ship after it entered British waters earlier this week, the defence secretary has told MPs. John Healey said the vessel, Yantar, was used for gathering intelligence and mapping the UK's critical underwater infrastructure.

Britain’s defence minister has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that “we will not shy away from robust action” after telling Parliament that a Russian spy vessel had been operating in UK waters this week.