A British retired couple sailing on a UK-registered yacht in international waters approximately 23 miles south of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel encountered a Russian warship, the Admiral Grigorovich, which fired warning shots near their vessel. The couple reported that after initial horn blasts signaling presence, the Russian frigate fired five small arms warning shots into the air, not aimed at the yacht. The yacht was drifting and not on a collision course, according to the couple, but the Russian Defence Ministry claimed the yacht posed a dangerous approach. The incident occurred against a backdrop of increasing Russian naval activity in the Channel, including escorting shadow fleet vessels and recent interception of a sanctioned Russian oil tanker by British forces. British officials and politicians condemned the warning shots as reckless and intimidating. The Royal Navy monitored the Russian frigate, which was shadowed by HMS Mersey at the time. The UK Ministry of Defence stated warning shots were an attempt to prevent possible collision and not directly aimed at the yacht.

A British retired couple sailing on a UK-registered yacht in international waters approximately 23 miles south of the Isle of Wight in the English Channel encountered a Russian warship, the Admiral Grigorovich, which fired warning shots near their vessel. The couple reported that after initial horn blasts signaling presence, the Russian frigate fired five small arms warning shots into the air, not aimed at the yacht. The yacht was drifting and not on a collision course, according to the couple, but the Russian Defence Ministry claimed the yacht posed a dangerous approach. The incident occurred against a backdrop of increasing Russian naval activity in the Channel, including escorting shadow fleet vessels and recent interception of a sanctioned Russian oil tanker by British forces. British officials and politicians condemned the warning shots as reckless and intimidating. The Royal Navy monitored the Russian frigate, which was shadowed by HMS Mersey at the time. The UK Ministry of Defence stated warning shots were an attempt to prevent possible collision and not directly aimed at the yacht.