British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that the warning shots fired by a russian frigate in an attempt to turn away a civilian yacht flying the British flag near British territorial waters were ill-considered and cause deep concern.
It was reported by Reuters.
According to the British and russian defense ministries, the incident occurred on June 16. They noted that the shots were fired to prevent a collision after unsuccessful attempts by the frigate “Admiral Grigorovich” to establish communication with the yacht.
“What happened in the Channel was deeply concerning. It was reckless. That shouldn't have happened. It is reckless, and the couple on the yacht must've been terrified,” said Starmer, who is in France for the G7 summit.
He noted that, according to the Ministry of Defense’s assessment, the russian vessel “was drifting, and they were warning shots.”
On Tuesday, the ministry of the aggressor state reported that the frigate’s crew spotted a yacht traveling on a course that posed a risk of collision with the ship. After repeated attempts to establish radio contact proved fruitless, the frigate fired warning shots—including from small arms—ahead of the yacht. According to him, the yacht then changed course and sailed away.
The British Ministry of Defense called this an “isolated incident” unrelated to the detention of a vessel from the russian “shadow fleet,” which was intercepted by British special forces last weekend.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.