A Russian Warship Fired Warning Shots At A British Yacht

The Russian vessel had previously escorted tankers belonging to the "shadow fleet."

The British Ministry of Defense is investigating the incident involving a Russian warship in the English Channel. According to The Telegraph, the frigate “Admiral Grigorovich” may have fired warning shots near a civilian yacht flying the British flag. Authorities are continuing to analyze the circumstances of the incident, including the vessels’ trajectories and the nature of the warning shots. “We are investigating reports of an incident in the strait,” said a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense.

According to the Coast Guard, a distress call was received on Monday afternoon from the crew of a civilian vessel located approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight. The distance between the Russian ship and the yacht was approximately 450 meters. The incident occurred outside British territorial waters. No injuries or damage were reported.

The frigate Admiral Grigorovich had been in the English Channel for several weeks, escorting “shadow” oil tankers. At the time of the incident, according to sources cited by The Telegraph, the Russian ship was being monitored by Royal Navy patrol ships—HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne. One of them escorted the frigate through the strait, while the other sent a boat to the yacht’s crew.

On June 14, the British military seized a tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet that was attempting to pass through the English Channel, British Prime Minister Kir Starmer reported. According to him, he personally issued the order. “This successful operation dealt another blow to Russia,” Starmer wrote on X. The British Ministry of Defense clarified that the vessel in question was the oil tanker Smyrtos, which is subject to EU and Swiss sanctions. The vessel was sailing from Ust-Luga under the Cameroonian flag. According to the ministry, the operation was conducted in close cooperation with France and lasted six hours. Royal Marine commandos boarded the tanker with support from military aircraft and the ships HMS Sutherland and HMS Ledbury. The Smyrtos is currently anchored in the English Channel.

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