Russia’s military reacted on Tuesday after the UK announced an investigation into allegations that a Russian warship fired a warning shot at a British-registered yacht. This incident followed British forces’ detention of a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the English Channel two days earlier.
Reports identify the frigate involved as the Admiral Grigorovich. Typically, the Royal Navy shadows Russian military vessels passing through the Channel. A Royal Navy patrol vessel was monitoring the Russian ship at the reported time of the incident.
The Russian Ministry of Defense later communicated via Telegram that the Russian crew made “several attempts” to contact the British yacht, but the vessel did not change course.
“To capture the yacht crew’s attention, signal flares and sound signals were used. Despite these actions, the yacht continued its approach dangerously,” the post stated. “As the distance decreased to 150 meters, the frigate commander chose to fire from small arms preemptively. Following this, the British-flagged yacht changed course, moving away from the Russian warship.”
Warning Shot Fired in English Channel
The alleged incident happened around 11:40 a.m. local time, between the Isle of Wight off England’s south coast and Normandy, France. According to reports, the Russian ship fired on the yacht when they were approximately 500 yards apart, about 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight.
British sources indicated that a couple in their 60s was aboard the yacht. There were no reports of injuries or damage. A French Defense Ministry spokesperson told Newsweek, “the use of force in international waters must adhere to criteria of necessity and proportionality.” The UK Ministry of Defense has not yet issued a public statement on the matter.
British Armed Forces Intercept Russian Ship
Tuesday’s incident is the latest example of escalating tensions between the UK and Russia. On Sunday, the British military boarded a Russian shadow fleet vessel in an early morning operation lasting about six hours. The Ministry of Defense stated the vessel was detained and monitored off England’s south coast as investigations continued.
Russia has been utilizing such vessels to bypass sanctions imposed after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, transporting oil and gas crucial for funding the conflict. The vessel in question was sailing under a Cameroon flag, having left Russia’s Ust-Luga port near St. Petersburg on June 5, before entering the English Channel on Saturday. Sanctioned in July 2025, it has since changed names from Myrtos to Smyrtos and switched its sailing flag.
The UK has sanctioned around 500 ships of the 700-strong shadow fleet linked to Moscow. These sanctions bar the entry of these vessels into UK ports and forbid British entities from offering financial, insurance, or brokerage assistance to ships that supply or transport Russian oil.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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