British couple describe warning shots fired by Russian warship in English Channel

A retired British couple, Jane and Alan Kelvey, recounted an encounter with a Russian frigate in the English Channel on Tuesday, describing the experience as "surreal." The couple were sailing their yacht, the Bright Future, approximately 23 miles south of the Isle of Wight in international waters when they came into close contact with the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich. According to Jane Kelvey, the warship first sounded five horn blasts—a standard signal meaning "have you seen us?"—to which they immediately responded by turning two degrees to port to demonstrate they had altered course deliberately. Minutes later, the warship sounded additional horn blasts followed by four to five shots of small arms fire, which the couple said was warning fire directed upward rather than at their vessel.

Russian authorities justified the incident, claiming the yacht was on a "dangerous approach" toward the warship and that crew members had fired warning shots after unsuccessful attempts to contact the yacht via radio and after launching warning flares. The yacht's occupants disputed these claims, stating they were "definitely not on a collision course" and that they had not received radio contact or observed any flares. Jane Kelvey expressed disappointment at the accusations, calling them "simply not true" and describing the gunfire as "completely unnecessary." She reported the incident as a hazard to navigation, as protocol requires.

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer characterized the incident as "reckless" and said it should not have happened, expressing concern that the couple must have felt "terrified." The Ministry of Defence assessed the situation as an isolated incident, noting that the Russian vessel was drifting at the time and the shots were fired in an attempt to prevent potential collision. The MoD stated the warning shots were not aimed at the vessel. However, the couple later told media outlets that the MoD was "trying to shut the story down," and the Ministry declined to comment on their criticism.

The incident occurred approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, in international waters separate from UK and French territorial waters. The Russian warship fired from approximately 500 yards away, a relatively close distance by maritime standards. The encounter happened days after Royal Marine Commandos intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker carrying sanctioned oil in the Channel on Sunday, though UK authorities stated the two incidents were unrelated. Russian warships regularly transit through international waters in the Channel and are routinely monitored by Royal Navy vessels.