Russian frigate fired shots towards British yacht

British Ministry of Defence investigates an incident involving Russian frigate project 11356P Admiral Grigorovich and a yacht flying the flag of Great Britain. According to Sky News and Reuters, a Russian warship fired warning shots towards the yacht. Bright Future on the English Channel, outside the territorial waters of Great Britain.

Warning shots towards the yacht

The incident occurred on June 16, morning in the waters of the English Channel, on an episode between the British Isle of Wight and the coast of French Normandy. According to Reuters, the yacht was to approach a Russian ship during its passage.

The crew of the yacht that formed the British couple Alan and Jane Kelvey reported that the Russian frigate had fired warning shots at a distance of approximately 457 metres. There is no information about the injured or about damage to the unit.

This is not the case with the Russian side. According to her, the crew of the frigate had tried to establish radio communication earlier and used warning signals. Warning shots against the yacht were to be fired later.

Royal Navy was monitoring a Russian ship

The incident did not happen outside the British's attention. Royal Navy then led monitoring of Russian frigatewhich escorted the Russian oil tankers while passing through the English Channel.

The very presence of Russian warships near the British Isles is nothing new. This time, however, the case has a different weight, as a warning shot came from the ship towards a civil yacht.

The event is also relevant. The La Manche Canal is one of Europe's busiest maritime routes. Commercial ships, ferries and yachts pass through it, so the presence of a civilian unit in this area is not unusual.

Russia tests reaction limits

That is why the frigate incident Admiral Grigorovich should not be brought only to the dispute over course a yacht or communication procedures. Rather, it looks like another Russian examination of how far one can go without triggering an open crisis. Moscow has been doing this for years: creating tension, observing the response of NATO countries and moving the line of acceptable behaviour at sea.

The context of recent days is not meaningless. Two days earlier, Royal Marines boarded a tanker. Smyrtos from the so-called Russian "shadow float", as we wrote on our portal.

However, at this stage, there is no confirmation that the two events were directly related.

However, the case shows that the activity of Russian warships off the coast of the states NATO does not come down to crossing international waters. The way Russia conducts such transitions and how it reacts to the presence of other individuals at sea is increasingly important.