June 16, 2026, 5:41 p.mJune 16, 2026, 8:21 p.m
The British Ministry of Defense is investigating, according to reports BBC Reports that a Russian warship fired warning shots near a British-registered yacht in the English Channel. Other British media also reported on it on Tuesday.
The British-registered yacht is said to have reported to the Ministry of Defense that the Russian ship fired warning shots from a distance of around 500 meters.
The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich is said to have been involved in the incident, which occurred on Tuesday afternoon around 11:40 a.m. This is reported by the Press Association news agency. The incident reportedly occurred approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside British territorial waters.
The authorities would assume that this was an isolated case. Apparently there were no injuries or damage to the yacht.
Ministry in Moscow confirms incident
The Russian Defense Ministry later confirmed the incident. The yacht did not respond to several attempts to make contact and continued to reduce the distance. At a distance of 150 meters, the captain of the frigate then gave the order to open the warning shots. “The crew of the frigate ‘Admiral Grigorovich’ acted in strict accordance with international shipping rules and did everything to prevent the incident,” emphasized the ministry in Moscow.
Just a few days ago, the British Navy stopped an oil tanker in the English Channel that was attributed to the Russian shadow fleet. According to experts, the presence of Russian warships is intended to deter such actions.
With ships from the so-called shadow fleet, Russia is trying to circumvent the sanctions imposed by Western supporters of Ukraine. According to British information, there are more than 700 ships flying the flags of various states and transporting Russian oil exports. (hkl, with material from sda/dpa)