A Russian warship fired warning shots at a British private yacht in the English Channel amid heightened tensions between London and Moscow. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

The incident occurred at 11:40 a.m. on June 16, 2026, more than 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight and less than 40 miles north of Normandy, France, when the private yacht Bright Future sailed close to the Admiral Grigorovich frigate and ignored at least one warning.

British sources said initial indications were that more than one shot was fired by Russian sailors after the yacht had got close to the heavily armed frigate. "Following attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots. These were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision," the Ministry of Defence said.

Russia's defence ministry said later the yacht was on a "dangerous course" and that several attempts were made to contact it. Signal rockets were fired, the Russians said, but the yacht continued to within 150 metres before a warning shot was fired.

No injuries or damage were reported by the yacht, which continued its journey, the UK said. Those onboard were visited by a boat sent from HMS Tyne, a Royal Navy patrol vessel, to gather details and check the crew was safe.

The 12 metre Bright Future yacht appears to be owned by retired couple Alan and Jane Kelvey, from Slough, according to public records. The pair sold their sign-making business two years ago and planned to explore the British and French coasts on their boat. They are keen sailors and have been maintaining a blog which catalogues their travels.

The episode, which took place in international waters, came just days after the UK seized a Russia-linked oil tanker, the Smyrtos, off the coast of the Isle of Wight, the first time British forces have led the seizure of a sanctioned vessel since the start of the war against Ukraine.

The captain of the tanker, Ajay Pant, a 38-year-old Indian national, was charged with breaching UK sanctions on the export of Russian oil at a magistrates court in Southampton. It was carrying 98,000 tonnes of Russian crude bound for India at the time of its seizure.

On Monday two men, who appear to have operated under the instruction of an online handler with links to Russia, were found guilty of conspiring to carry out an arson attack on property connected to Keir Starmer.

On Tuesday at the G7 summit meeting in France, the prime minister said he was pleased that "justice has now been done", and said the attack needed to be seen in a broader context – the impact of western economic sanctions on Russia's ability to fight in Ukraine.

The incident comes amid an ongoing row over the UK's defence funding after the resignation of the then defence secretary, John Healey, last week.

On Tuesday Rich Knighton, the chief of the defence staff, told a Lords committee that Britain would have to "dial back" on military operations and exercises in the next few years if the MoD did not receive extra funding from Downing Street and the Treasury.

Given the context of the incident in the Channel, British sources said they were viewing it as an isolated episode, not linked to the UK interception of the Smyrtos. Shots were not aimed at the yacht, they emphasised.

But there remains a concern that Russia may retaliate against British merchant shipping in response to the seizure of the Smyrtos. "If Russia does respond, it is likely to do so in kind," a naval source warned.

The Admiral Grigorovich warship is the first in a class of frigates nearly 125 metres in length and with a crew of up to 220. Its main 100mm gun is able to fire 80 rounds a minute at a range of more than 12 miles (20km) and engage multiple targets.

The warship has been regularly deployed near British waters this year. It has regularly escorted Russian shadow fleet vessels in the Channel and North Sea and refuelled off the Suffolk coast to remain near the UK.

It is normally shadowed by Royal Navy vessels when it sails close to UK territorial waters to maintain safety. It was being tracked by HMS Mersey, another offshore patrol ship, at the time.

One expert said it was an incident waiting to happen given the loitering of the Grigorovich off the British coast.

John Foreman, a former Royal Navy captain and defence attache to Moscow, said: "This may not be Vladimir Putin's response to the Channel seizure, but yachters should know not to sail near a Russian warship. Russian captains, Russian warships are always twitchy about boats coming towards them. They have a mental exclusion zone of about 500 metres. It is not unheard of for a Russian captain to fire after issuing a warning."

On Tuesday, it was also unclear to the Royal Navy if the Russian vessel was fully in control of its movements, prompting speculation that it had suffered some form of mechanical failure, which may have heightened the crew's nervousness.

Shooting incidents at sea are extremely rare in peacetime, though warning shots are considered a legitimate way for navies to deter other vessels from approaching. But it is not known when shots were last fired in the Channel in a maritime incident.

Martin Kelly, head of advisory at crisis ma...