Russian frigate fires warning shots at British yacht in English Channel
The incident occurred about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight; UK authorities launched an investigation and reported no injuries.
What happened
Sailors aboard the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a UK-flagged civilian yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The yacht was roughly 500 yards (460 metres) from the warship, about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight and outside UK territorial waters. No injuries or damage to the yacht were reported.
We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.
The frigate, a Black Sea Fleet vessel based in occupied Sevastopol, had been tracked by Royal Navy patrol ships and tanker RFA Tideforce during its passage through the area. The yacht was registered in the United Kingdom, and the incident occurred between the Isle of Wight and the Normandy coast.
Russian account
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the frigate fired warning shots, stating the yacht had made a “dangerous approach” and failed to respond to radio hails, signal flares and audible warnings. The frigate commander then ordered small-arms fire into the yacht’s direction.
In order to attract the attention of the yacht's crew, signal flares were fired and audible signals were sounded. Despite these measures, the vessel continued its dangerous approach. The frigate's commander decided to fire warning shots in the vessel's direction using the ship's small arms.
Link to shadow fleet tensions
The episode follows Sunday’s interception by UK commandos of the Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the same part of the Channel. That operation, carried out jointly with France, was the first UK-led boarding of a sanctioned tanker suspected of moving Russian oil. A UK defence source told Reuters Tuesday’s warning shots were not linked to that operation and were being treated as an isolated incident.
- UK commandos board Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos
- Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fires warning shots at UK yacht
- Captain of Smyrtos appears in court charged with sanctions breach
Hours after the shots, the captain of the Smyrtos, Indian national Ajay Pant, appeared in court charged with breaching sanctions by delivering prohibited Russian oil products to a third country. The tanker was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil at the time of its seizure.
Broader diplomatic moment
The incident occurred as G7 leaders gathered in eastern France and agreed to intensify pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine. The UK also announced a fresh sanctions package on Monday. The Russian frigate had been observed in recent months escorting shadow fleet vessels through UK waters, and the Royal Navy said it had kept the warship under continuous surveillance throughout April.
