The Ministry of Defence is investigating reports that a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired warning shots on Tuesday morning within 500 metres of a British yacht sailing a little over 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight.
Incident Details
No injuries or damage have been reported by the yacht, a pleasure boat, which continued its journey. A boat from HMS Tyne, a patrol vessel, has visited the yacht to gather details and check the crew are safe.
The incident came just days after the UK seized a Russia-linked oil tanker, the Smyrtos, off the coast of the Isle of Wight, the first time British forces have led the seizure of a sanctioned vessel since the start of the war against Ukraine.
MoD Response
The MoD said: “We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel”.
Defence sources said initial indications were that warning shots had been fired after the pleasure yacht sailed close to the Russian warship in the late morning in international waters beyond the 12 mile British territorial limit.
A warning was issued by the Grigorovich, but the yacht did not respond at first, and the shooting episode followed afterwards.
Given the context of the incident, the sources said they were viewing it as an isolated episode, not linked to the UK interception of the Smyrtos. Shots were not aimed at the yacht, they emphasised.
Russian Frigate's Activities
The Admiral Grigorovich has been regularly deployed near British waters this year. It has regularly escorted Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Channel and North Sea and refuelled off the Suffolk coast to remain near the UK.
But on Tuesday, it was unclear to the British navy if the Russian vessel was fully in control of its movements, prompting speculation that it had suffered some form of mechanical failure or difficulty at sea.
It is normally shadowed by Royal Navy vessels when it sails close to UK territorial waters. The frigate was being monitored by HMS Mersey, another offshore patrol ship, at the time.
Political Reactions
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the incident was “very concerning” and the UK should “be in no doubt that Russia poses a direct threat”.
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman James MacClearly said: “Reports of a Russian warship firing warning shots in the English Channel are deeply concerning. Russia is quite literally on our doorstep. Aggression and intimidation in our waters must not be tolerated.”
Warship Capabilities
The warship is the first in a class of frigates nearly 125 metres in length and with a crew of up to 220. Its main 100mm gun is able to fire 80 rounds a minute at a range of more than 20km and engage multiple targets.
Shooting incidents at sea are extremely rare in peacetime, though warning shots are considered a legitimate way for navies to deter other vessels from approaching. But it is not known when shots were last fired in the Channel in a maritime incident.
