British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday that warning shots fired by a Russian frigate to turn away a UK-flagged civilian yacht near British territorial waters were "reckless" and deeply concerning, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
The incident occurred on Tuesday, according to statements from the defense ministries of Great Britain and Russia. They stated that the firing was aimed at preventing a collision after failed attempts by the "Admiral Grigorovich" to contact the yacht.
Russian warship opened warning fire on a British yacht in the English Channel – media16.06.26, 19:46
"What happened in the English Channel was deeply concerning. It was reckless," Starmer, who is in France for the G7 summit, told BBC News. He said that, according to the assessment of the country's Ministry of Defense, the Russian vessel was "drifting, and these were warning shots."
"This should not have happened. It is reckless, and the couple on the yacht must have been terrified," Starmer said.
The Russian ministry stated on Tuesday that the frigate's crew spotted a yacht moving on a course that threatened a collision with the ship.
After repeated attempts to establish radio contact were unsuccessful, the frigate fired warning shots, including from small arms, ahead of the yacht, the ministry said. The yacht then changed course and moved away.
The UK Ministry of Defense called it an "isolated incident" and unrelated to the interception of a Russian "shadow fleet" vessel intercepted by British special forces last weekend.