Russian warship and a British pleasure yacht came face to face, Admiral Grigorovich, fired warning shots

London: Dramatic scenes ensued after a Russian warship and a British pleasure yacht came face to face in the international strait of the English Channel. 

The UK Ministry of Defense has confirmed that the Russian Navy's state-of-the-art frigate warship, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired warning shots at a small passenger boat carrying a British couple.  

The incident took place at around 11:40 am on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) in international waters 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, UK. The Russian sailors opened fire when the British boat came within about 150 meters of the Russian warship. No one was injured or the boat was damaged in the incident.  

​🔴 What happened? :

British couple's response: Jane and Alan Kelvey, a retired British couple, were traveling on a 40-foot boat called 'Bright Future'. They said that their boat was drifting close to the Russian ship due to heavy snow conditions. The couple said that they changed course as soon as the Russian ship sounded its horn, but immediately after that, the Russian sailors fired 4-5 small arms shots into the air.

​Russian Defense Ministry's explanation: Russia claims that the British boat was approaching its warship in a dangerous manner. After trying to warn the boat via radio and flares, but getting no response, the Russian claim is that the ship's commander aimed a warning shot into the air at the bow of the boat to avoid a collision.  

​ UK Royal Navy involvement:

​The UK patrol ship HMS Mersey was nearby, monitoring the Russian warship at the time of the incident. Following the shooting, another UK warship, HMS Tyne, sent a small sea-boat to ensure the couple were safe and gather information. The couple then continued on to France.  

​⚠️ Background: Rising UK-Russian tensions

The shooting comes exactly two days after British commandos landed by helicopter and dramatically seized the Smyrtos, an oil tanker belonging to Russia's 'shadow fleet' (secret oil smuggling vessel) in the English Channel. It is noteworthy that this shooting took place exactly two days after a UK court remanded its captain, Indian national Ajay Pant, in custody.  

However, the UK Ministry of Defence has said that this is not a planned attack at this time, but rather a temporary naval crisis caused by ships approaching in heavy ice. The UK military has launched a detailed investigation into the incident.