A Russian warship sailing between England and France fired warning shots near a British civilian yacht

• Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots at a British civilian yacht on Sunday.

• Admiral Grigorovich was in the English Channel when his frigate opened fire with small arms fire.

• A retired British couple said they were sailing on a yacht when they encountered the frigate.

London and Moscow said a Russian frigate fired warning shots with small arms near a British-registered civilian yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday.

battleship Admiral Grigorovich Several shots – single rounds, not automatic fire – were fired near Bright Future, a sailing yacht, outside UK territorial waters, about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight.

The United Kingdom assesses that Grigorovich signaled to other ships that she was drifting rather than maneuvering under power, possibly leaving the battleship vulnerable. A warning sound was heard before shots were opened.

“Following attempts to contact a British ship in the channel, Grigorovich fired warning shots,” a UK defense ministry spokesman told Business Insider. “These were not aimed at the ship and were an attempt to avoid a possible collision.”

Russia’s defense ministry said the frigate tried to communicate with Bright Future by radio, flares and sound signals, but opened fire after receiving no response and seeing the yacht “following a dangerous route.”

“After closing the distance to 150 meters, the frigate commander decided to open preemptive fire on the ship’s route with small arms,” ​​Moscow said. he said.

The retired British couple aboard the Bright Future told the BBC that the two ships were not on a collision course and Admiral Grigorovich adjusted the yacht’s course after five honks.

The incident followed the UK Royal Navy’s separate seizure of the MV Smyrtos, a tanker believed to be part of the ship. Russia’s shadow fleetSunday off the south coast of England.

The boarding operation was a first for the UK and involved two men British warships, reconnaissance aircraftAnd helicopters.

While both incidents occurred in the English Channel, Britain’s defense ministry said the watch and the warning shots fired by Admiral Grigorovich on Tuesday were isolated incidents.

A defense ministry spokesman said: “HMS Mersey is monitoring the Russian ship and support has been provided to the yacht’s crew.” he said.

However, the Russian navy escorting shadow fleet tankers in convoys. Admiral Grigorovich, who is part of the Black Sea Fleet, was seen convoying two tankers in the English Channel in April, just after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer authorized British forces to seize shadow fleet ships.

Retired Royal Navy Admiral Steve Prest is currently an assistant researcher in the United Kingdom. Royal United Services InstituteHe said it was possible that Grigorovich’s commander decided to open fire after becoming very agitated by the unresponsiveness of the yacht near the battleship.

But Perst said in comments shared with Business Insider that, given the context of the stay-behind fleet and the Royal Marines’ capture of Smyrtos, “I think this is Russians showing their teeth,” adding that Moscow “very rarely would do something like this in a reckless, haphazard way.”

Perst said Russia may be trying to signal other ships preparing to cross the Channel: “Hey, look, we’re here, we’re serious and we’re ready to stand our ground, so let’s not miscalculate.”

The 120-meter-long guided missile frigate is the leading ship of its class and entered service in 2016. The ship’s main armament consists of eight vertical launch cells for land attack cruise missiles and a 100 mm naval gun.

16 June 2026: This story has been updated to reflect comment from the UK Ministry of Defence.

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