'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 6 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian w…

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 6 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian w…

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 6 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian warship speak to BBC Newsnight A British retired couple who were on a yacht which had warning shots fired near it by a Russian warship in the English Channel have described the "surreal" experience to BBC Newsnight. Jane and Alan Kelvey were sailing 23 miles off the coast of the Isle of Wight on Tuesday morning when they came into close contact with a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich. The warship fired into the UK-registered yacht's path, in what the Ministry of Defence has called an "isolated incident". Russia's Defence Ministry said the yacht had been on a "dangerous approach" towards the warship, but the couple said they were "definitely not on a collision course". Recounting the incident, Jane Kelvey told BBC Newsnight: "[The warship] gave out five blasts on their horn, which means 'have you seen us?' "We immediately turned two degrees to port so they could see we had made a deliberate change of course, which meant we had seen them. "Then a minute or so later they gave another five blasts on their horn, immediately followed by four to five small arms fire. "That wasn't aimed at us - it was warning fire that went up in the air, we believe." In a statement earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Defence Ministry said the Admiral Grigorovich's crew had fired into the yacht's path with rifles as it made a "dangerous approach" towards them. It had followed the Russian frigate making several attempts to contact the yacht over the radio and launching warning flares, the ministry said, adding that its sailors had acted in "strict accordance with international shipping regulations". A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson told the BBC: "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." Ministry of Defence The incident on Tuesday involved a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich Jane said their yacht, the Bright Future, was "definitely not on a collision course". "As far as we were concerned, it wasn't an incident until the gunfire started," she said. She called the gunfire "completely unnecessary", and said she had reported the incident as a hazard to navigation "because that's what you're supposed to do". The incident happened around 20 nautical miles - around 23 standard miles - south of the Isle of Wight, outside of UK territorial waters. British authorities said they received reports from the yacht's occupants on Tuesday morning that a Russian vessel had fired warning shots from around 500 yards (457m) away - a relatively near distance by the standards of sea travel. The BBC understands that the small, motor-less y

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 5 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian w…

''Scary' clash in Channel' and 'Oh frigate!' 23 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Most of Wednesday's papers lead on the warning shots fired by a Russian warship near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The British couple on board tell the i Paper that th…

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

''Scary' clash in Channel' and 'Oh frigate!' 4 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Most of Wednesday's papers lead on the warning shots fired by a Russian warship near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The British couple on board tell the i Paper that they …

''Scary' clash in Channel' and 'Oh frigate!' 4 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Most of Wednesday's papers lead on the warning shots fired by a Russian warship near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The British couple on board tell the i Paper that they …

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian w…

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 40 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent and Victoria Derbyshire , BBC Newsnight Watch: Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russia…

Police salute during a procession with the body of Constable Marc Pinizzotto, who was killed in the line of duty conducting a raid earlier in the day, in Toronto on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Canadian Press/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Police salute during a procession with the body of Const…

UK forces face operational cuts without more cash, defence chief warns 8 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Brian Wheeler Political reporter PA Media Sir Richard Knighton was put in charge of UK forces last September The UK's armed forces will have to "dial back" training and operations…

''Scary' clash in Channel' and 'Oh frigate!' 1 hour ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Most of Wednesday's papers lead on the warning shots fired by a Russian warship near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning. The British couple on board tell the i Paper that they w…

UK forces face operational cuts without more cash, defence chief warns 7 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Brian Wheeler Political reporter PA Media Sir Richard Knighton was put in charge of UK forces last September The UK's armed forces will have to "dial back" training and operations…

By — Jill Lawless, Associated Press Jill Lawless, Associated Press By — Brian Melley, Associated Press Brian Melley, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/a-russian-warship-fired-warning-shots-near-a-uk-registered-yacht-in-the-english-channel Email Fa…