British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described a recent incident in the English Channel as “deeply concerning” and “reckless” after a Russian warship fired warning shots near a British civilian yacht.
The event occurred on Tuesday morning roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, when the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich encountered a 40-foot British sailboat, the Bright Future.
While Russia’s defense ministry claimed the yacht was on a “dangerous course” and failed to respond to radio signals or flares, the UK Ministry of Defence stated the warship appeared to be drifting and fired the shots to prevent a potential collision.
No one was injured and the yacht suffered no damage.
Speaking from the G7 summit in France, Prime Minister Starmer emphasized, “What happened in the Channel, obviously deeply concerning and I obviously feel for the couple on the yacht.”
However, he noted that intelligence assessments suggest the incident was not a deliberate act of aggression, stating, “It looks from the MoD assessment as if it was a drifting warship that fired a warning shot.”
Despite this, Starmer reiterated that “it’s reckless” and the broader context of Russian hostility remains, adding, “that doesn’t take away from the fact that clearly Russia is aggressive across Europe.”
