Kremlin Defers Questions on Alleged Laser Targeting by Russian Ship to Defence Ministry

The query followed a UK report alleging the reconnaissance vessel Yantar targeted British pilots with lasers north of Scotland.

Overview

Peskov told reporters that only Russia's military can comment on any actions involving military ships.
He underscored that in Russian usage the word for 'ship' denotes a military vessel, directing follow‑ups to the Defence Ministry.
RIA Novosti relayed a report from the Independent citing the British defence minister’s claim that Yantar used lasers against reconnaissance-aircraft pilots tracking it.
TASS described an exchange with a BBC correspondent in which Peskov reiterated the linguistic distinction and declined to elaborate on operations.
No substantive response from Russia’s Defence Ministry was provided in the reports, and the allegation remains unconfirmed in Russian coverage.