Illustrative image. (Russian Defense Ministry)
Sailors on board a Russian frigate fired warning shots at a yacht near the Isle of Wight in the Channel that had come near to it on June 16, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the incident.
According to the source the incident involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich and it was being monitored by a Royal Navy vessel at the time.
Admiral Grigorovich is the lead ship of the Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates of the Russian Navy. The warship, a part of the Black Sea Fleet, has been regularly deployed near British waters this year.
The warning shots were fired at a United Kingdom-registered yacht a distance of approximately 500 meters, the source told Reuters, noting that the incident It took place about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement that it was investigating reports of an incident in the Channel. No injuries or damage have been reported by the yacht, which continued its journey.
A boat from HMS Tyne, a patrol vessel of the Royal Navy, has visited the yacht to gather details and check the crew are safe.
The alleged incident came just days after the UK seized a Russia-linked oil tanker off the coast of the Isle of Wight, the first time British forces have led the seizure of a sanctioned vessel since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
However, defense sources cited by The Guardian were viewing the latest incident as an isolated episode, not linked to the UK interception of the Smyrtos.
The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet confirmed or denied that the incident took place, although it will likely clarify what happened soon.
However, the incident, if confirmed, would also not be surprising at all, as recent attacks on Russia-linked vessels have largely been carried out by Ukrainian intelligence with direct support from several Western agencies, including the UK’s own.
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