A Russian warship sailing through the English Channel on Tuesday fired warning shots several hundred yards in front of a British-flagged yacht that was believed to be on a collision course, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
The yacht was not injured or damaged and continues to sail.
The ministry said in a statement that the crew of a Russian frigate spotted the civilian yacht Bright Future and said it was “traversing a dangerous route” that could bring it “close” to the warship.
According to the Ministry of Defense, several attempts to contact the yacht’s crew by radio went unanswered, but the vessel remained on course and the Russian crew fired flares to attract the vessel’s attention.
The Russian ministry said the sailing ship continued its “dangerous approach” and when the distance between it and the ship approached 150 meters, the Russian frigate commander “decided to use the ship’s small arms to fire warning shots along the ship’s path.” The yacht then veered away from the Russian ship, the ministry said.
“The crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich acted in strict accordance with international maritime regulations and took all necessary measures to prevent an accident,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
A British Ministry of Defense spokesperson said on Tuesday that the warning shots were not aimed at British ships but were “an attempt to prevent a potential collision”. The incident occurred outside British territorial waters, 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the Isle of Wight.
A spokesperson said the Royal Navy’s patrol ship Mersey was also in the area at the time, monitoring the Russian warship.
British defense officials said the Russian ship was signaling to other ships that it was drifting rather than being steered by force, making it feel more vulnerable and leading to warning shots, the officials said. The bullet fired appears to be a single shot and not an automatic gunshot, the official added.
The incident came two days after British forces seized the first oil tanker linked to Russia’s shadow fleet in the English Channel, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
Officials have not linked the two events.
