Masks. The Russian Defense Ministry has claimed that its warship fired warning shots to stop a British yacht in the English Channel. This action was taken after all other attempts to divert the yacht failed.
Russia’s state news television network Russia Today quoted the Defense Ministry as saying that on Tuesday afternoon, while their warship ‘Admiral Grigorovich’ was passing through international waters between the Isle of Wight and Normandy, the crew of the ship spotted a British yacht named ‘Bright Future’, which was reportedly sailing on a course that would allow it to come very close to the warship.
The Russian crew first tried to contact the yacht via radio, but received no response, the ministry said. After this, signal flares were fired and sirens were sounded, yet the yacht did not change its course. According to Russian officials, when the yacht reached a distance of about 150 meters from the warship, the commander ordered small-arms warning shots to be fired ahead of the yacht. Shortly thereafter the yacht changed course and moved away from the warship.
Russia claimed that its crew fully complied with international maritime rules and took all necessary steps to prevent any possible accident. According to Russia Today, the news of this incident first appeared in the British media. However, British reports did not mention the yacht moving towards the warship. The British Defense Ministry declined to comment in detail on the matter, saying only that it was investigating reports of the incident in the English Channel.
According to another media report, at the time of the incident, the Russian warship ‘Admiral Grigorovich’, weighing 3,600 tonnes and equipped with Caliber cruise missiles, was being monitored by the Royal Navy’s patrol ship ‘HMS Mercy’. However, the actual distance between the two ships remains unclear.
The development comes two days after British commandos captured a Cameroon-flagged oil tanker named ‘Smartos’ in the English Channel. The ship was believed to be transporting banned Russian oil. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”, a term used for tankers carrying Russian oil without Western insurance coverage.
Experts believe that recent incidents may be a sign of increasing tension between Russia and Britain in the English Channel. —
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