A Russian warship fired warning shots near a UK-registered pleasure yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, authorities said, an incident that caused no damage but illustrated heightened tensions between the two countries.
Britain’s Defense Ministry launched an investigation after the yacht reported being fired on by a Russian navy vessel about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters.
Incident Details
There were no reports of injuries or damage to the sailing yacht, which continued its journey from the UK toward France. The BBC reported that the yacht, which has no motor, had drifted toward the Russian vessel in foggy conditions.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich tried to contact the yacht when it was seen sailing on a ‘dangerous course in close proximity with the warship.’ It said the ship’s crew launched flares and issued sound signals when the yacht did not respond.
After the distance had closed to 150 meters, the frigate’s commander decided to fire warning shots across the vessel’s bow using small arms. The yacht then changed course and sailed away.
Britain’s account of the incident was similar. ‘Following attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots. These were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision,’ Britain’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Context
Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely shadowed by the Royal Navy, and patrol vessel HMS Mersey was monitoring the Russian ship at the time of the reported incident and provided support to the yacht’s crew.
The British military said last month that it had monitored the Admiral Grigorovich throughout April as the Russian ship escorted six Russia-linked civilian vessels near the UK.
The altercation occurred two days after British commandos boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker in the Channel that is suspected of being part of the Russian ‘shadow fleet.’ British defense officials said they don’t believe the two events are linked.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
