Russian warship fired warning shots near a yacht in the English Channel

( NBC )

A Russian warship fired warning shots across the bow of a British yacht Tuesday, sparking an investigation by the U.K.’s Defense Ministry.

The commanding officer of the Admiral Grigorovich took the decision because the Bright Future was “proceeding under engine power on a dangerous collision course toward the warship,” in the English Channel, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Several attempts to make radio contact had failed, and when the yacht did not respond, the statement said, “signal flares were fired and sound signals were issued” in an attempt to attract the Bright Future’s attention.

But when the yacht still didn’t change course and the distance between the two vessels had closed to less than 500 feet, the commanding officer “decided to fire warning shots from small arms” across the course of the Bright Future, which started to move away, the statement added.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said in a statement it was looking into the reports of an incident in the English Channel, the body of water separating Britain and France.

A British official familiar with the incident said the reports allege that a Russian navy vessel fired warning shots roughly 500 yards away from a U.K.-registered yacht.

They added that the incident was understood to have taken place outside U.K. territorial waters, around 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, a small island off England’s south coast.

No injuries or damage were reported by the yacht, which continued its journey, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide more detail about a sensitive international issue. The official added that it was being viewed as an isolated incident.

The HMS Mersey, a Royal Navy patrol ship, was monitoring the Russian vessel at the time, the official said.

The U.K. Defense Ministry said Sunday that British forces intercepted a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker in an effort to disrupt Moscow’s sanctions-evasion network.

On Sunday, Royal Marine Commandos and officers from Britain’s National Crime Agency boarded the vessel, the Smyrtos, in the English Channel, the ministry said in a statement. It added that the tanker will be held and monitored off the south coast of England while investigations continue.

The operation lasted six hours and was conducted in close coordination with French authorities, the Defense Ministry said.

Video shared by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on X showed armed personnel descending onto the vessel from a helicopter. Other video shows troops searching cabins with guns drawn while officers inspect paperwork.

“This operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fueling Putin’s war in Ukraine that they cannot hide,” Starmer said in a separate statement.

Britain and France have both pledged to obstruct vessels linked to Russia’s shadow fleet that pass through their waters carrying sanctioned Russian oil or other goods for sale on black markets elsewhere, helping Russian President Vladimir Putin finance his war effort in Ukraine.

The U.K. has sanctioned almost 600 shadow fleet vessels, the Defense Ministry said, adding that Russia’s oil revenues are down 27% from October 2024 levels and are now at their lowest since the start of the Ukraine war.

According to the vessel-tracking website MarineTraffic, the Smyrtos sails under the flag of Cameroon. It is anchored off the English seaside town of Weymouth, on Britain’s southern coast.