Russian warship fires warning shot at yacht in English Channel

A Russian frigate has been accused of firing at a yacht sailing in the English Channel today, leading to an MoD investigation.

Sailors on the Russian warship Admiral Grigorovich are said to have fired warning shots at a yacht that came near it this morning.

The incident happened at about 11.40am, and is understood to have involved the frigate, according to the Press Association.

The shots were reported in the sea between the Isle of Wight

Ministry of defense said it is aware and is investigating reports of an incident.

Sources cited by Sky News insisted that the warship did fire a couple of warning shots, but not directly at the yacht.

The UK-registered yacht has claimed that the Russian warship fired warning shots from around 500 yards while the vessels were 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight.

No damage or injuries were reported, it is understood.

HMS Mersey, a Navy sea-capable patrol vessel, is said to have been monitoring the Russian warship when the incident happened.

Another British vessel, HMS Tyne, an offshore patrol vessel, sent a boat to the yacht to check on the passengers and take down details, according to The Telegraph.

A Ministry of defense spokesperson said: ‘We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.’

Tensions have been rising in the waterway after Royal Marines stopped a Russian shadow fleet tanker over the weekend.

Commandos seized the tanker on Sunday after the vessel was suspected of circumventing the sanctions placed on Russia.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Armed Forces intercepted a shadow fleet oil tanker trying to pass through the Channel.

He said on X: ‘This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide.’

During Tuesday’s incident, Sir Keir was attending the ongoing G7 summit in Evian, France, where naval security is high on the agenda as Donald Trump has insisted that the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened soon.

A security management expert has warned against linking the two incidents.

Martin Kelly, head of advisory at EOS risk, said that warships are ‘entitled to self-defense.’

If a ship approaches a warship, the first step is usually to send a warning over the radio, followed by another ‘more intense warning’ followed by warning shots, he explained.

He said: ‘This kind of thing does happen everywhere all of the time, I honestly don’t think there’s a link here.

‘If Russia was going to respond then they would do against probably a commercial ship.’

The UK territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, beyond which commercial and warships are allowed to move through uninterrupted.

Admiral Grigorovich has been lurking just off the British waters in recent months, which analysts believe is designed to stir up concern.

The 409ft warship is part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, but it has been deployed on missions around the world, including in the Mediterranean in early 2022 as part of a movement linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The ship can fit a Ka-27 series helicopter and it has a helipad and a hangar.

Britain’s Royal Navy features frigates designed for strike, patrol, and hybrid operations like the Admiral Grigorovich, known as the Type 31 Inspiration class.

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