London investigates Russian warning shots in the English Channel

LondonThe Russian war frigate Admiral Grigorovich reportedly fired warning shots at a British-flagged yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, in an incident that the UK Ministry of Defence is investigating, and which occurs at a time of high tension between London and Moscow. The war in Ukraine and the activities of the so-called ghost fleet of tankers at the Kremlin's service have maximally strained relations between the two capitals, as already happened in 2018 following the attempted assassination on British territory of former spy Sergei Skripal by agents of Vladimir Putin.

the assassination attempt on British territory of ex-spy Sergei SkripalThere were no injuries or material damage. The yacht continued its journey and an auxiliary vessel from the patrol boat

HMS Tyne

moved to the area to collect testimonies and verify the condition of the occupants. The episode coincides with the celebration of the G-7 summit in France, in which the main Western leaders are participating, including the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and in which the war in Ukraine is among the central issues on the agenda.

Recently detected

The frigate Admiral Grigorovich, integrated into the Russian Black Sea Fleet, has been detected in recent weeks near British coasts. According to military sources, the vessel has escorted oil tankers linked to the so-called ghost fleet of Russia – used to transport oil and evade Western sanctions – and has also been located near a wind farm off the coast of Suffolk, in northeast England. On Monday, Royal Navy patrol vessels HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne followed it during its transit through the channel.

The incident this Tuesday occurs just two days after Royal Marines commandos intercepted the oil tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel, linked to the aforementioned network of ships transporting sanctioned Russian oil. It was the first operation of its kind carried out by the British navy. However, British government sources assure that there are no indications that the warning shots are related to this action.

The episode is framed within a context of growing concern over Russian activities around the United Kingdom. In April, the British government revealed that Russian submarines had been followed while operating near underwater communication cables in the North Atlantic. The Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force monitored at least two spy submarines and one attack submarine in an operation aimed at protecting critical infrastructure. At the end of January last year, another Russian spy ship was sighted in British territorial waters.

Naval tensions between Russia and NATO countries are not new. In 2021, Moscow claimed to have fired warning shots and dropped bombs in front of the British destroyer HMS Defender in the Black Sea. London denied this version and asserted that the vessel was exercising the right of "innocent passage" through Ukrainian territorial waters.