British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the firing of warning shots by a Russian frigate near a UK-flagged yacht in the English Channel, calling the act "reckless" and "deeply concerning." The incident occurred on Tuesday about 20 nautical miles (37km) south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters, when the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired shots to divert the yacht Bright Future, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence. The ministry stated the yacht, carrying British couple Alan Kelvey, 70, and his wife Jane, was on a course that risked collision and that attempts to contact the vessel had failed. It said the shots were not aimed at the yacht and were intended solely to prevent an accident. Alan Kelvey disputed the account, calling the Russian explanation "just normal lies." The UK Ministry of Defence described the event as "isolated" and confirmed it was not connected to the seizure of a Russian-linked oil tanker over the weekend. That vessel, part of Russia's so-called "shadow fleet," was detained by British forces while transiting the Channel for allegedly breaching sanctions. At the time of the incident, the Royal Navy's offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey was shadowing the Admiral Grigorovich. Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Starmer said the yacht incident did not indicate "anything more sinister" but reaffirmed that Russia has shown consistent aggression across Europe. Western nations, including the UK, continue to block vessels linked to Russia's shadow fleet from accessing ports and prohibit British firms from offering insurance or financial services to ships carrying Russian oil.
The Russian navy fired warning shots near a civilian yacht just 37km from British shores, claiming collision risk, while the UK dismissed the act as reckless but unrelated to its recent seizure of a Russian-linked tanker. Alan Kelvey rejected the Russian account as falsehoods, underscoring a growing tension in maritime conduct. Russia's actions in waters near a NATO ally occurred as G7 leaders intensified pressure over the Ukraine war. The UK's distinction between isolated incidents and broader aggression does not erase the proximity of armed naval confrontations to European coastlines.
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