A tense encounter unfolded in the English Channel when sailors aboard a Russian warship fired warning shots at a UK-registered yacht that had drawn close.
The episode happened at about 11.40am and is understood to have involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich in waters between the Isle of Wight and Normandy.
It marks the latest flashpoint amid heightened friction between the UK and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s country.
No one was hurt and the yacht was not damaged, according to reports.
The yacht’s crew said the warning shots were fired from roughly 457 metres away.
Russia’s Defence ministry said it opened warning fire to force the vessel away as it made what it described as a “dangerous approach” in the channel.
The ministry said the yacht changed course and moved away after the Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots, after efforts to make radio contact failed.
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Britain’s Ministry of Defence said it was looking into reports of an incident in the channel, close to territorial waters.
Russian naval vessels transiting the English Channel are routinely tracked by the Royal Navy, and offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey was monitoring the Admiral Grigorovich at the time.
A boat from HMS Tyne, another patrol vessel, was dispatched to the yacht to collect information and ensure the crew were safe.
Officials are treating the shooting as a standalone event, not connected to UK action on Sunday when Royal Marine commandos and National Crime Agency officers boarded the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos in the channel.
Britain’s Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge described the reports as “very concerning”, saying 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.”
Relations between London and Moscow have worsened as the UK has backed Ukraine and imposed sanctions designed to squeeze Mr Putin’s ability to fund his 2022 invasion.
The boarding of the Smyrtos was the first time British forces have taken such action, though the UK has previously supported allies targeting sanctioned tankers.
The tanker’s captain, whose ship was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil, appeared in court today charged with breaching sanctions.
Ajay Pant, a 38-year-old Indian national, is accused of directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country, contrary to Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
He attended a preliminary hearing at Southampton Magistrates’ Court by video link from Bournemouth police station, where he confirmed his name and date of birth and gave an address in India.
Additional reporting Reuters
