Warning shots in the English Channel – Retired couple contradicts Moscow

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• The incident in the English Channel remains controversial: A British couple is refuting Russia’s account of the warning shots.
• While the sailors claim they reacted appropriately, Moscow says they ignored warnings.
• London sees no connection to recent actions against Russia’s shadow fleet.

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The incident in the English Channel, in which a Russian frigate fired warning shots, remains a mystery. A British retired couple, whose yacht was the target of the shots, has since contradicted Moscow’s account of the events.

According to their account, the retirees—who were sailing from England to France—immediately responded to warnings sounded by the ship’s horn as they approached the warship at a distance of about 500 meters. The warnings came in rapid succession, immediately followed by shots from handguns, skipper Jane Kelvey told the BBC.

The shots were “completely unnecessary,” said the 68-year-old retiree. She added: “It’s just not true—they’re blaming us, but as far as we’re concerned, we didn’t do anything wrong.”

British Foreign Office Endorses Russian Account

Moscow had stated that the yacht had failed to respond to several attempts to establish contact and had continued to close the distance. At a distance of 150 meters, the frigate’s captain then gave the order to fire warning shots.

“The crew of the frigate ‘Admiral Grigorovich’ acted in strict accordance with internationally applicable maritime regulations and did everything possible to prevent the incident,” the ministry in Moscow emphasized.

The British Foreign Office dismissed speculation that this might have been a retaliatory action for the detention of the oil tanker “Smyrtos,” which is believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet. The British Navy had seized the ship a few days earlier.

Collision Was Allegedly Avoided

The shots were not aimed at the yacht but were an attempt to prevent a possible collision, the PA news agency quoted a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense as saying. The incident is believed to be an isolated case unrelated to the boarding of the “Smyrtos.”

That did not stop the British media from speculating about a calculated provocation by Moscow. According to experts, the presence of Russian warships is intended to deter action against the shadow fleet.