Russian frigate fires warning shots at British yacht in Channel | Ministry of Defence

Amid rising tensions between London and Moscow, a Russian warship fired warning shots within a few hundred meters of a British yacht crossing the English Channel on Tuesday morning.

The rare incident occurred at 11:40 a.m., 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight and less than 40 miles north of Normandy, France, when the yacht, identified as the private vessel Bright Future, approached Admiral Grigorovich and ignored at least one warning.

British sources said that initial indications were that multiple shots were fired by Russian sailors after the yacht approached the heavily armed frigate. “We are investigating reports of an incident on the canal,” the Ministry of Defense said.

Russia’s defense ministry later said the yacht was on a “dangerous route” and that multiple attempts had been made to contact it. The Russians said signal rockets were fired but the yacht continued to approach 150 meters before warning shots were fired.

No injuries or damage to the yacht were reported. England said there were those who continued their journey. Those on board were visited by a boat sent from the Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tyne to gather details and check that the crew were safe.

The incident, which occurred in international waters, came just days after the UK seized the Smyrtos, a Russia-bound oil tanker, off the Isle of Wight, leading British forces to seize a sanctioned ship for the first time since the start of the war against Ukraine.

The tanker’s captain, 38-year-old Indian national Ajay Pant, was charged in a magistrates’ court in Southampton with violating UK sanctions on Russian oil exports. At the time of its seizure, it was carrying 98,000 tonnes of Russian crude oil bound for India.

On Monday, two men understood to have acted on the instructions of an online processor with links to Russia were found guilty of conspiring to carry out an arson attack on property linked to Keir Starmer.

At the G7 summit meeting in France on Tuesday, the prime minister said he was pleased “justice has now been served” and said the attack should be seen in the broader context of the impact of Western economic sanctions on Russia’s ability to fight in Ukraine.

The incident comes amid an ongoing row over Britain’s defense funding following the resignation of defense secretary John Healey last week. On Tuesday, chief of defense staff Rich Knighton told the Committee of Lords that the UK will have to “call back” on military operations and exercises over the next few years unless the Ministry of Defense receives extra funding from Downing Street and the Treasury.

Given the context of the incident on the canal, British sources said they viewed it as an isolated incident unrelated to the UK’s involvement in Smyrtos. They emphasized that the fire was not aimed at the yacht.

However, concerns remain that Russia may retaliate against British merchant ships in response to the capture of Smyrtos. “If Russia reciprocates, it will probably do the same,” a maritime source warned.

The warship is the first of the frigate class, with a length of approximately 125 meters and a crew of up to 220. Its 100 mm main gun can fire 80 rounds per minute to a range of more than 20 km and engage multiple targets.

Admiral Grigorovich has been deployed regularly near British waters this year. It regularly escorted Russian shadow fleet ships in the Channel and the North Sea, refueling off the coast of Suffolk to remain close to the United Kingdom.

It is normally shadowed by Royal Navy ships when sailing close to UK territorial waters to ensure safety. At the time it was being pursued by another offshore patrol ship, HMS Mersey.

One expert said this was an incident that was to be expected, given Grigorovich’s wanderings off the coast of Britain. Former Royal Navy captain and Moscow defense attaché John Foreman said: “This may not be Vladimir Putin’s reaction to the Channel takeover, but yachtsmen should know not to sail alongside a Russian warship.

“Russian captains, Russian warships, are always timid about boats approaching them. They have mental isolation zones of about 500 meters. It is not unheard of for a Russian captain to fire after giving a warning.”

It was also unclear for the British navy on Tuesday whether it had full control of the Russian ship’s movements, leading to speculation that the ship had experienced some kind of mechanical malfunction, which may have increased the crew’s uneasiness.

Incidents of armed attacks at sea are extremely rare in peacetime, but warning shots are considered a legitimate way for navies to deter other ships from approaching. However, it is not known when the last time a shot was fired in a maritime incident in the English Channel.

Martin Kelly, head of consultancy at crisis management firm EOS risk, said warships had the right to self-defence, regardless of their country of origin. Typically, escalation rules begin with a VHF radio warning, and he said: “If there is no response, the next escalation is a more intense warning and then up to warning shots, which is where we get here.”

Shadow Defense Secretary James Cartlidge said the incident was “extremely worrying” and the UK should “have no doubt that Russia poses a direct threat”. James MacCleary, for the Liberal Democrats, said: “Russia is literally on our doorstep. Aggression and intimidation should not be tolerated in our waters.”