Sailors on a Russian warship fired warning shots at a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel in the latest sign of tensions with Vladimir Putin’s country.
The incident is understood to have involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside the UK’s territorial waters.
There were no injuries and the yacht received no damage in the incident on Tuesday.
The crew of the yacht claimed the warning shots were fired at a distance of approximately 500 yards (457 metres).
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Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely shadowed by the Royal Navy, with offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey monitoring the Admiral Grigorovich at the time of the incident.
A boat from HMS Tyne, another patrol vessel, was sent to the yacht to gather details and check on the safety of the crew.
It is being viewed as an isolated incident, unrelated to UK action on Sunday which saw Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency board the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker, Smyrtos, in the channel.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.”
The Russian embassy in the UK has been approached for comment.
A translation of a statement posted on the Telegram channel for the Russian ministry of defence said the yacht had been on a “dangerous approach” and the ship fired warning shots after attempting to draw the attention of the yacht’s crew through signal flares and sound signals.
It said its sailors had acted “in strict accordance” with international shipping regulations.
The Russian statement identified the vessel involved as the Bright Future – a 12-metre-long sailing yacht which was en-route to Cherbourg, France.
Martin Kelly, head of advisory at crisis management firm EOS risk, said people should be “careful” not to link the incident with the seizing of a Russian tanker by the UK.
He told the Press Association: “Warships, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, are entitled to self-defence.
“If a ship, yacht, etc is approaching, the rules of force escalation will start with a VHF (very high frequency radio) warning, and if there is no response the next escalation is a more intense warning, and then up to warning shots, which is where we got to here.”
He added: “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.”
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.”
The UK’s support for Ukraine and sanctions aimed at crippling Mr Putin’s ability to finance his 2022 invasion have contributed to a deterioration in relations with Moscow.
The seizure of the Smyrtos was the first such action by British forces, although the UK had previously helped allies targeting sanctioned tankers.
The captain of the tanker, which was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with breaching sanctions.
Indian national Ajay Pant has been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
The 38-year-old appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court by video link from Bournemouth police station on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing during which he spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and gave his address as being in India.
The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee said Russia poses “the most direct and pressing threat” to the UK and urged the Government to move faster in increasing defence spending.
Labour MP Tan Dhesi said: “The incident in the Channel is still under investigation, and we will need to wait to understand exactly what has happened today.
“However, it was already clear that the UK finds itself in a deeply dangerous world. While we face a range of serious challenges, Russia poses the most direct and pressing threat.
“Evidently, we need to move much faster, including by increasing defence spending.
“Our Defence Committee has already called on the Government to commit to spending 3% of GDP by the end of this Parliament.
“If the UK is to rearm at pace, additional spending will be necessary.
“Delays to the Defence Investment Plan and the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary have slowed us down at a time when we need to invest in defence, and do so at speed.”
