Russian frigate fires warning shots at British yacht in Channel - reports

The Ministry of Defence has set out further detail on the incident in the English Channel in which a Russian warship fired warning shots near a British yacht, saying the shots were intended to prevent a possible collision and were not aimed at the vessel, the Ministry of Defence has said. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said that “following attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots” , adding that these “were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision” .

The incident, which reportedly occurred at around 11:40 BST, happened as a civilian yacht sailed near the warship Admiral Grigorovich , operating in international waters approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight. Coming just days after the UK conducted its first boarding of a vessel alleged to belong to Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ , the Admiral Grigorovich is suspected to have been tasked by the Russian Navy to escort these ships as they pass close to NATO countries on their routes.

The British military said it is investigating after a Russian warship fired warning shots at a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, about 30 kilometres south of the Isle of Wight. Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots after it made a "dangerous approach".