Russian ship fires warning shots at British yacht in Channel

A Russian warship fired warning shots at a British yacht in the English Channel after it made a "dangerous approach," the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday. 

The ministry said signal flares were shot and "audible signals" were sounded to draw the yacht's attention.

After the yacht "continued its dangerous approach," the Russian vessel's commander decided to "fire warning shots" using the Russian frigate's small arms. The Russian crew reported the shots were fired at a distance of 500 yards. 

Britain's Ministry of Defense said it was investigating the incident, which is understood to have involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich about 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) south of the Isle of Wight, outside the UK’s territorial waters.

No injuries or damage were reported.

Russian warships in English Channel

The Royal Navy often follows Russian warships that pass through the English Channel. An offshore patrol vessel, the HMS Mersay, was monitoring the Russian frigate when the incident occurred.  

Officials said the warning shots fired was likely an isolated incident, and unrelated to naval action against a Russian shadow fleet tanker, Smyrtos, in the Channel last Sunday. 

The seizure of the Smyrtos was the first such action by British forces aimed at Russia's attempts to circumvent international oil sanctions, although the UK has previously helped allies targeting sanctioned tankers.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn