Russian Warship Fires Warning Shots Near UK Yacht in International Waters of English Channel
The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots near a UK-registered yacht roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight on Tuesday. The Ministry of Defence is investigating the incident, which occurred outside UK territorial waters.
pravdareport.comM. BST on Tuesday. The shots came from the Admiral Grigorovich at a distance of about 500 yards, or 457 meters.
The incident took place roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters and between the Isle of Wight and Normandy. No injuries or damage to the yacht were reported. The Ministry of Defence confirmed it is investigating the reports.
The frigate was being shadowed by the Royal Navy vessel HMS Mersey at the time. On Monday the Navy said HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey had tracked the Admiral Grigorovich over the weekend after it was spotted off the coast of Brest, France, describing the monitoring as a routine operation.
The same frigate escorted six shadow fleet vessels through the English Channel in April while under Royal Navy observation.
Satellite images reviewed by BBC Verify show the Russian repair vessel PM-82 operating between the Channel and the North Sea in recent months, supplying the Admiral Grigorovich with food, water and other provisions that allowed extended deployments.
British officials do not view Tuesday's incident as connected to the interception by Royal Marine Commandos of a Russian shadow fleet tanker carrying sanctioned oil in the Channel on Sunday. Russian warships regularly transit the waterway and are routinely monitored by the Royal Navy.
