"My message to Russia and to Putin is this: we see you. We know what you're doing. And if the Yantar travels south this week, we are ready," he added.

Healey said the laser incident took place whilst the Yantar was being followed by a Royal Navy frigate and RAF Poseidon P-8 planes deployed to "track the vessel's every move". It is understood the episode occurred within the last two weeks.

Speaking at a news conference in Downing Street, the defence secretary added he had changed the Royal Navy's rules of engagement so that it could follow the Yantar more closely "when it is in our wider waters".

Healey said the vessel, which entered service in 2015, was part of Russia's Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research (GUGI), which was designed to "undertake surveillance in peacetime and sabotage in conflict".

"We have military options ready should the Yantar change course. I am not going to reveal those because that only makes President Putin wiser," he said."