The British navy said Wednesday that is ramping up measures to protect its waters from secret Russian operations after identifying a Russian spy vessel in UK waters for the second time in weeks.

The Royal Navy has been monitoring a Russian spy ship after it was spotted around UK 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.

"We see you." That was UK Defence Secretary John Healey’s defiant warning to Russia's President Vladimir Putin after his spy ship was spotted in UK waters this week. The ship, known as Yantar, is operated by a Russian Ministry of Defence agency and officially carries out oceanographic research.