Russian Navy Frigate Fires Warning Shots Near British Yacht In English Channel

A Russian Navy frigate fired warning shots near a British-flagged yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday after what both Russian and British authorities described as an effort to prevent a possible collision.

The incident involved the Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich and the UK-registered yacht Bright Future about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight in international waters.

No injuries or damage were reported, and the yacht continued its journey.

According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, the yacht was on a course that could have brought it dangerously close to the frigate.

The ministry said the warship’s crew tried several times to contact the yacht by radio and also fired signal flares, but received no response. It said warning shots were then fired ahead of the yacht’s path, after which the vessel altered course.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence also confirmed that warning shots were fired, but said they were not aimed at the yacht.

The MoD said the shots were intended to prevent a possible collision after attempts to contact the vessel failed.

The incident comes amid increased monitoring of Russian naval activity in the English Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes and a key gateway for trade and energy shipments moving between the Atlantic and Northern Europe.

The Admiral Grigorovich was being monitored by the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Mersey at the time of the incident. A boat from HMS Tyne was later sent to check on the welfare of the yacht’s crew.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the firing of warning shots as “reckless” and said the incident should not have happened.

The British couple aboard the yacht later described the experience as “surreal”. Jane and Alan Kelvey said they first heard five blasts from the warship’s horn, a signal asking whether another vessel has seen them.

“We immediately turned two degrees to port so they could see we had made a deliberate change of course,” Jane Kelvey told the BBC.

She said another series of horn blasts followed shortly afterwards before several shots were fired.

“That wasn’t aimed at us. It was warning fire that went up in the air, we believe,” she said.

The couple disputed suggestions that they were on a collision course with the Russian vessel.

“As far as we were concerned, it wasn’t an incident until the gunfire started,” Jane said, adding that the shots were “completely unnecessary”.

British authorities said the warning shots were fired from a distance of around 500 yards (457 metres), while Russia said the vessels had closed to about 150 metres before the shots were fired.

The incident took place in foggy conditions outside UK territorial waters. British officials believe the yacht may have drifted towards the warship, which was signalling that it was not under power and therefore had limited ability to manoeuvre.

The UK government said it does not believe the incident was linked to the boarding of the sanctioned Russian-linked tanker Smyrtos in the Channel on Sunday.

In that operation, Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the tanker as part of efforts to enforce sanctions targeting Russia’s oil trade.

The Ministry of Defence described Tuesday’s encounter as an isolated incident.

The Admiral Grigorovich has been operating in and around the Channel for several weeks and was reportedly escorting Russian-linked vessels through the area.

NATO sources told the BBC last week that the frigate had been tasked with escorting vessels associated with Russia’s so-called shadow fleet through the Channel.

In April, the warship reportedly escorted several tankers carrying Russian oil through the waterway while being tracked by the Royal Navy.

Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely monitored by British naval vessels. The route is one of the world’s most important maritime corridors, carrying large volumes of commercial cargo, energy shipments and naval traffic every day.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said the crew of the Admiral Grigorovich acted in accordance with international maritime regulations and took all necessary steps to prevent an incident at sea.

The Royal Navy continues to monitor the Russian frigate as it operates in international waters, while British officials maintain that no further action is currently planned following the encounter.

References: BBC, Reuters