Fresh tensions have emerged following an incident in international waters of the English Channel, where a Russian warship reportedly fired warning shots near a British-flagged yacht. Defense authorities from both countries have acknowledged that the incident took place.
According to an Al Jazeera report, the episode occurred on Tuesday about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight. Moscow said the warning shots were fired from the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich to prevent a potential collision with a yacht named Bright Future.
Russian authorities claimed repeated attempts had been made to establish contact with the vessel, but no response was received. They said the action was taken for navigational safety and stressed that the yacht itself was not directly targeted.
However, the British couple aboard the yacht rejected the Russian explanation, insisting that their vessel was never at risk of collision and describing Moscow’s account as inconsistent with what actually occurred.
The UK Ministry of Defence said the incident was unrelated to the recent detention of a Russian tanker and should be treated as a separate matter.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 summit, Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the Russian action as “reckless,” saying that concerns over Moscow’s activities in Europe have grown amid the prolonged war in Ukraine and that the latest incident should be viewed within that broader context.
The Royal Navy said HMS Mersey, which was conducting routine monitoring operations in the English Channel, was present in the area and observed the movements of the Russian warship during the incident.
Source: Al Jazeera.