The British defense secretary told Parliament that the Yantar, which he described as a Russian spy ship, had come near Britain’s coast for the second time in a few months.

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

A British official sent a public warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday after the Royal Navy started tracking the Russian spy vessel Yantar in British waters this week.