Russian frigate fires warning shots at civilian yacht in the English Channel

A Russian frigate sailing through the English Channel fired warning shots at a civilian yacht, according to British media reports on Tuesday. The incident happened at 11:40 local time in the waters between the Isle of Wight and Normandy, when the yacht approached the Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich.

Sky News said the episode took place outside British territorial waters and that the warning shots were fired when the yacht was about 457 meters from the Russian vessel. Reports said there were likely no injuries and no damage. The circumstances remain unclear, but London’s Ministry of Defence confirmed it is investigating the maritime incident and gave no further details.

The report came a day after Britain said two of its naval ships had tracked the same frigate west of Brest, France. British media presented the latest encounter as another sign of rising tensions between Britain and Russia, two days after British commandos carried out a first-of-its-kind operation and seized a tanker from Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Channel.

Moscow’s Defence Ministry said the Admiral Grigorovich spotted a British-flagged yacht that was taking a dangerous course toward the ship. It said the warship tried several times to contact the yacht, and when there was no response, fired several shots. After the warning fire, the yacht immediately changed course and moved away, and the Russian side said the frigate acted in line with international navigation law.