Warning shots fired from Russian warship at vessel in English Channel

Sailors on a Russian warship fired a warning shot at a yacht that came near it in the English Channel, the Press Association reported.

The incident on Tuesday is understood to have involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich in the sea between the Isle of Wight off the southern English coast and Normandy, France.

It is the latest sign of rising tensions between the United Kingdom and Russia.

In an operation on Sunday, British Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) boarded the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the channel.

In Tuesday’s incident a UK-registered yacht alleged that the Russian warship fired warning shots nearby at a distance of approximately 457 metres.

The shots were fired around 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters, and caused no injuries or damage.

Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely shadowed by Britain’s Royal Navy, with offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey monitoring the Admiral Grigorovich on Tuesday.

A seaboat from HMS Tyne, another patrol vessel, was sent to the yacht to gather details and check on the safety of the crew.

A spokesman from the UK Ministry of Defence said: “We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.”