Russian Warship Fires Warning Shots at British Yacht in English Channel

A Russian frigate fired warning shots near a British yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The yacht Bright Future was approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight when the Admiral Grigorovich discharged the shots around 11.40am. The couple aboard said they had departed Lymington in Hampshire at 4am bound for Cherbourg.

Kelvey said the frigate fired without prior flares or radio contact. Alan Kelvey told the Telegraph that visibility was clear and that neither flares nor radio messages reached their vessel. "They're trying to close the story down now, saying that it was foggy and they were shooting flares up.

It's rubbish," he said. The couple rejected official accounts that communication attempts had been made, stating their radio remained silent throughout the episode.

Officials described the incident as isolated and involving a drifting vessel rather than deliberate action. They indicated no further diplomatic measures would follow. An armed forces minister confirmed contact with the couple and said both appeared in good spirits and planned to continue their holiday.

Russia's defence ministry said the yacht had been on a dangerous course and that contact attempts via flares and sound signals preceded the shots. The encounter occurred outside British territorial waters days after Royal Marines seized a shadow tanker carrying sanctioned Russian oil.

“We didn't see any flares at all. They normally go bang and you see them. It wasn't a problem of fog. [We could] see him clearly.”