Russian Frigate Fires on Private Yacht

A UK-registered yacht came under warning fire from a Russian warship south of the Isle of Wight, shortly after Royal Marines seized the shadow tanker Smyrtos.

An unnamed British yacht reportedly had warning shots fired at it by a Russian frigate in the English Channel shortly after the shadow tanker Smyrtos was seized by UK Royal Marines.

The UK-registered yacht reported that shots were fired at a distance of about 500m. At the time, the Russian frigate RFN Admiral Grigorovich FFG-494 was being followed by the UK naval patrol vessel HMS Tyne.

The incident is said to have occurred around 20Nm south of the Isle of Wight, placing it outside UK territorial waters. HMS Tyne deployed a sea boat to check on the yacht and gather details. No injuries or damage to the vessel were reported, and the yacht continued its journey.

An inquiry has been initiated into the incident, which is understood to have happened around 11:40 am on the morning of June 16. A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson told The News, a Portsmouth newspaper: “We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.”

The firing is being viewed as an isolated incident and is not being associated with the event last Sunday, which saw the Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos taken over by UK forces including Royal Marines and officers from the National Crime Agency, who boarded the sanctioned vessel in the Channel.