British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said a Russian warship was “reckless” but not “sinister” in firing warning shots at a yacht steered by pensioners in the English Channel. Russian officials contend that the shots were fired to avert a collision.
Starmer told GB News that the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has determined that the shots fired on June 16 were from “a drifting warship rather than anything more sinister.”
A 40-foot British-flagged vessel named Bright Future and owned by Jane and Alan Kelvey reported on Tuesday morning that the Admiral Grigorovich, a 409-foot Russian frigate, had fired four or five shots as they attempted to sail past, sparking a diplomatic incident.
The couple, who were crossing the English Channel to Cherbourg in France, said they received no radio contact from the Russians and that no warning flares were fired.
The Russians said in a statement that they had behaved in “strict accordance” with international shipping regulations.
Speaking from the G7 summit in Evian in the French Alps on June 17, Starmer said: “What happened in the Channel is obviously deeply concerning, and I obviously feel for the couple on the yacht.
“It looks from the MoD assessment as if it was a drifting warship that fired a warning shot.
“That’s the assessment; clearly that shouldn’t have happened. I think it’s reckless, but it does look as if the MoD assessment is, it was drifting, and that’s what it is.”
Heightened Tensions, Fresh Sanctions
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between the UK and Russia, with the British government announcing a fresh package of sanctions against Moscow on June 16.
The prime minister, who could face a leadership challenge from within his Labour Party within days, added that this assessment did not “take away from the fact that clearly Russia is aggressive across Europe.”
Starmer said that in addition to the Ukraine War being in its fifth year, “We are seeing state-backed attacks across Europe.”
“We were discussing it here at the G7 yesterday, so we’ve got to be on our guard,” he added.
The latest measures target the so-called shadow fleet of Russian ships escorting sanctioned oil throughout international waters and also the finance networks helping to fund the war in Ukraine.
The Russian ministry said the Admiral Grigorovich crew spotted a yacht steering a course that risked collision with the ship.
After repeated attempts to establish radio contact failed, the frigate fired warning shots, including small arms fire, ahead of the yacht, the ministry said.
The yacht then changed course and moved away, the statement added.
Russia said the shots were fired when the vessels were 150 meters (164 yards) apart.
The Russian ministry said the frigate’s crew acted in accordance with international maritime rules and took all steps necessary to prevent an incident.
It was foggy when the incident took place in the Channel, roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside of UK territorial waters.
In April, the Admiral Grigorovich escorted tankers carrying Russian oil through the Channel.
‘Shadow Fleet’ Interception
On Sunday, British commandos boarded and intercepted the sanctioned Russian “shadow fleet” oil tanker Smyrtos in the Channel.
The vessel, sailing under a Cameroonian flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency (NCA) officials in the early hours of June 14, with support from Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, Merlin Mk4 commando helicopters, and Wildcat naval aircraft.
The operation was conducted in close coordination with France.
The tanker’s captain, an Indian national, was charged with shipping Russian oil in violation of international sanctions. He is in custody after appearing in court on Tuesday.
This was the first UK-led operation of its kind intended to disrupt the oil revenue that comes from the Russian shadow fleet. The tanker is being held off the south coast of England while investigations continue.
The shadow fleet of more than 700 vessels is responsible for carrying 75 percent of Russia’s sanctioned oil, according to the MoD.
An MoD spokesperson said that Tuesday’s episode involving the yacht was not linked to Sunday’s interception and described it instead as an “isolated incident.”
A Royal Navy vessel had been monitoring the Admiral Grigorovich, and support was provided to the crew of the yacht, the MoD statement added.
Convictions in 2025 Firebombings
Meanwhile, on Monday, two Ukrainian-born men, Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted at the Old Bailey of conspiring to commit three arson attacks on properties linked to Prime Minister Starmer.
When asked whether the Kremlin was behind the firebombing of his house in May 2025, as has been alleged by UK media but not by British authorities, the prime minister told GB News: “We’ve had information about what was behind the arson attacks on our house.”
Pressed on whether the Russian state was involved, Starmer said that was something “for others to go into.”
He added that his primary concern was for “the safety and well-being of my family,” and thanked “all those that ensured that justice was done in the case where there was a verdict earlier this week.”
The Russian state has denied any involvement in the arson attacks.
When asked about the attacks shortly after they occurred, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “London is prone to suspect Russia in all the bad things happening in the UK,” according to Russian state media agency TASS.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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