British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday the firing of warning shots by a Russian frigate to divert a UK-flagged civilian yacht near British territorial waters was reckless and deeply concerning.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, according to statements from the defence ministries of Britain and Russia. They said the firing was designed to prevent a collision after unsuccessful attempts by the Admiral Grigorovich to contact the yacht.
"What happened in the Channel was deeply concerning. It was reckless," Starmer, who is in France for the G7 summit, told BBC News. He said the Ministry of Defence's assessment was that the Russian vessel was "drifting, and they were warning shots".
"That shouldn't have happened. It is reckless, and the couple on the yacht must've been terrified."
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The Russian ministry said on Tuesday the crew of the frigate spotted a yacht travelling on a course that risked collision with the ship.
After repeated attempts to establish radio contact failed, the frigate fired warning shots, including small arms fire, ahead of the yacht, the ministry said. It said the yacht then altered course and moved away.
The incident took place in foggy conditions in the Channel about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters, and no injuries were reported, according to the source familiar with the incident.
Britain's defence ministry described it as "an isolated incident" and not linked to the interception of a vessel suspected of belonging to what has been dubbed Russia's "shadow fleet" by British commandos over the weekend.
In April, the Admiral Grigorovich escorted tankers carrying Russian oil through the Channel.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
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