IBRAHIM ISHAQ/AFP via Getty Images
- Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots at a British civilian yacht on Sunday.
- The frigate Admiral Grigorovich was in the English Channel when it opened fire with small arms.
- A retired British couple said they were sailing on the yacht when they encountered the frigate.
A Russian frigate opened fire in the English Channel on Tuesday, firing warning shots with small arms near a UK-registered civilian yacht, London and Moscow said.
The warship Admiral Grigorovich fired several shots — single rounds, not automatic fire — near the Bright Future, a sailing yacht, roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight outside UK territorial waters.
The UK assesses that the Grigorovich was signaling to other vessels that it was drifting instead of maneuvering under power, possibly leaving the warship feeling vulnerable. It sounded warnings before opening fire.
"Following attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots," a UK defense ministry spokesperson told Business Insider. "These were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision."
Russia's defense ministry said the frigate had attempted to contact the Bright Future with radio, signal flares, and sound signals, but opened fire after receiving no response and seeing the yacht "following a dangerous course."
"After closing the distance to 150 meters, the frigate's commander decided to carry out the preemptive fire at the vessel's course with small arms," Moscow said.
A retired British couple on board the Bright Future told the BBC that the two vessels were not on a collision course and that the yacht had adjusted its path after the Admiral Grigorovich issued five horn blasts.
The incident follows the UK's Royal Marines' separate seizure of the MV Smyrtos, a tanker believed to be part of Russia's shadow fleet, off the southern coast of England on Sunday.
Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
The boarding operation was a first for the UK, involving two British warships, reconnaissance aircraft, and helicopters.
While both events occurred in the English Channel, the UK defense ministry said that the seizure and Tuesday's warning shots from the Admiral Grigorovich were isolated incidents.
"HMS Mersey has been monitoring the Russian vessel, and support has been provided to the crew of the yacht," the defense ministry spokesperson said.
Still, the Russian navy has been repeatedly reported to be escorting shadow fleet tankers in convoys. The Admiral Grigorovich, part of the Black Sea Fleet, was spotted convoying two tankers in the English Channel in April, just after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had given British forces the authority to seize shadow fleet vessels.
Retired Royal Navy Commodore Steve Prest, now an associate fellow at the UK's Royal United Services Institute, said it is possible that the Grigorovich's commanding officer decided to open fire after they got too nervous about an unresponsive yacht near the warship.
However, Prest said in comments shared with Business Insider, given the context of the shadow fleet and the Royal Marines' seizure of the Smyrtos, "I think this is the Russians baring their teeth," adding that Moscow "very rarely will do something like this in an uncalculated, haphazard way."
Prest said Russia may be trying to signal to other ships preparing to go through the English Channel: "Hey, look, we are here, we are serious, and we are prepared to stand our ground, so let's not have any miscalculation."
The 409-foot-long guided-missile frigate is the lead ship of its class and was commissioned in 2016. The ship's main armament consists of eight vertical launch cells for land-attack cruise missiles and a 100mm naval gun.
June 16, 2026: This story was updated to reflect comment from the UK Defense Ministry.