A couple in their 60s had a terrifying encounter in the English Channel on Tuesday when a Russian naval frigate fired warning shots across the bow of their small yacht.
The pair were aboard their motorless vessel when it drifted towards the Admiral Grigorovich in foggy conditions south of the Isle of Wight. The Russian crew made several attempts to raise them on the radio and launched warning flares before firing rifles into the water from around 500 yards away. The couple said they never heard the frigate sound its horn. No injuries or damage was reported.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its crew acted in strict accordance with international shipping regulations. The British Ministry of Defence confirmed the shots were not aimed at the vessel and were fired to prevent a possible collision.
The timing has raised eyebrows. Just two days earlier, Royal Marine Commandos had boarded and seized the Smyrtos, a tanker suspected of carrying sanctioned Russian oil through the same waterway, the first such military operation by British forces. Former Royal Navy Rear Admiral James Parkin told the BBC the Grigorovich’s response was likely a miscalculation rather than a deliberate act, but noted the seizure of the Smyrtos was a significant embarrassment for Moscow, particularly given the frigate had been stationed in the Channel specifically to escort shadow fleet vessels.
Background source: BBC News
