Russia’s Admiral Grigorovich frigate fired warning shots at the British yacht Bright Future near the Isle of Wight in a “hugely concerning” English Channel maritime incident, as Moscow breaks its silence over the confrontation.
Russia was branded a “tin pot bully” after firing warning shots at a yacht in the English Channel. One of Vladimir Putin’s frigates, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired towards the Bright Future off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
The two vessels sailed close to each other in the Channel around 11:40am on Tuesday, it is believed. The Russian warship has been lingering near British waters for weeks and shadowed oil tankers.
HMS Mersey was observing the frigate at the time of the “hugely concerning” incident which one former Foreign Secretary alleged was “deliberate”. However, some defence sources are tonight suggesting the Admiral Grigorovich may have discharged the warning shots because it was having difficulty controlling her movements.
They proposed the Russian vessel wanted to evade a collision, as the yacht did not alter its course after earlier warnings.
The Russian Defence Ministry, breaking its silence, said: “Today, June 16 at 12:45, the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich in the English Channel discovered the civilian sailing yacht Bright Future, flying the British flag, which was following a dangerous course under engines to approach the ship.”, reports the Express.
“In accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, the frigate’s crew made several attempts to contact the civilian vessel on the international radio channel. There was no change in the yacht’s course or response to the international radio channel requests.
“To attract the attention of the yacht’s crew, flares were fired and sound signals were sounded. Despite these measures, the vessel continued its dangerous approach.
“After closing the distance to 150 meters, the frigate’s commander decided to fire preemptively at the vessel’s course with small arms.The British-flagged yacht then immediately changed course and continued moving away from the Russian warship.
“The crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich acted in strict accordance with international shipping regulations and took all necessary measures to prevent the incident.”
This alarming event is likely to reignite fury over Labour’s ongoing internal conflict regarding defence expenditure.
Former Defence Secretary Sir Ben Wallace told the Daily Express: “Russia is getting desperate. Firing at an innocent yacht is not the actions of a major power. It is the behaviour of a tin pot bully.”
Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge expressed his concern, stating: “This is hugely concerning.
“In the last three days we have seen a Russian Shadow Fleet tanker seized, Russian agents exposed at the heart of an attack on the Prime Minister and now we have reports of shots fired by a Russian Frigate at a civilian yacht in the Channel.
“This shows, yet again, that Russia poses a direct threat to our nation, and underlines why it is critical for Labour to get a grip on Defence after the chaos of their Ministerial resignations last week.
“Above all, this news shows why reports of Labour planning to make further cuts to Defence are so shocking.
“Kemi and I have offered to work with the Government, in the national interest, to cut welfare and properly fund our armed forces.”