What we know about Russian warship that fired warning shots in English Channel

A Russia warship fired warning shots at a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel in an incident that has intensified national security concerns.

The shots were fired on Tuesday about 20 nautical miles (30km) south of the Isle of Wight, outside the UK's territorial waters.

So what actually happened?

'Warning shots fired'

The incident, involving the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich and a UK-registered civilian yacht, unfolded at about 11.40am, between the Isle of Wight and Normandy.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed it was "investigating" the reports of an incident in the English Channel shortly before 4pm.

It later emerged that the Russian warship had fired warning shots close to the yacht and sounded signals to deter it from sailing too close.

The crew of the yacht said the warning shots were fired from a distance of about 500 yards (457m).

There were no injuries and the yacht was not damaged in the course of the incident.

An MoD spokesperson said the shots were "not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision".

It's understood the Admiral Grigorovich was trying to show other vessels in the area that it was drifting, rather than being manoeuvred under power, possibly due to engine troubles.

The Royal Navy's HMS Mersey was monitoring the Russian ship at the time of the incident, MoD said.

'It was a bit scary'

Sky News has confirmed that retired British couple, Jane and Alan Kelvey, were sailing the 40ft yacht, Bright Future, at the time of the incident.

Ms Kelvey told The i Paper it was a "bit scary" when the warship started firing, but they were "at a safe distance".

She said they heard five blasts on the horn, followed by four or five shots.

"They were warning shots, fired in the air - they weren't firing at us," she said.

What do we know about the Admiral Grigorovich?

The Russian warship is a 125-metre-long RFN ship is based at Sevastopol, a major port city in Russian-occupied Crimea.

The Black Sea fleet frigate has an A-190 Arsenal naval gun and a hangar and helipad for a military helicopter.

The frigate also has eight vertical launch cells for cruise missiles, which can be used against ships or ground targets.

What is Russia's response to the incident?

Russia's Ministry of Defence said the frigate's crew attempted to contact the yacht by radio and fired signal flares after the civilian vessel started "following a dangerous course under engines to approach the ship".

After these measures failed to change the yacht's course, the frigate's crew decided to fire warning shots.

"After closing the distance to 150 metres, the frigate's commander decided to fire pre-emptively at the vessel's course with small arms," the Ministry said.

"The British-flagged yacht then immediately changed course and continued moving away from the Russian warship.

"The crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich acted in strict accordance with international shipping regulations and took all necessary measures to prevent the incident."

'Russia poses most direct and pressing threat'

House of Commons Defence Committee chair Tan Dhesi said that while the UK faces a "range of serious challenges, Russia poses the most direct and pressing threat".

"Evidently, we need to move much faster, including by increasing defence spending," he said.

"Our Defence Committee has already called on the Government to commit to spending 3% of GDP by the end of this Parliament. If the UK is to rearm at pace, additional spending will be necessary."

He added that the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary had "slowed us down at a time when we need to invest in defence, and do so at speed".

Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the incident shows that "Russia poses a direct threat to our nation" and Labour needs to "get a grip on defence after the chaos of their ministerial resignations last week".

"Above all, this news shows why reports of Labour planning to make further cuts to defence are so shocking. Kemi and I have offered to work with the Government, in the national interest, to cut welfare and properly fund our armed forces," he said.

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Liberal Democrat defence spokesman James MacClearly said: "Russia is quite literally on our doorstep. Aggression and intimidation in our waters must not be tolerated."

'Warning shots an independent incident'

The incident in the English Channel should be viewed as an independent incident not linked to the seizure of a Russian tanker by the UK on the weekend, the MoD said.

Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency boarded the Russian shadow fleet tanker Smyrtos, which was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil, on Sunday.

The captain of the tanker, Indian national Ajay Pant, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with breaching sanctions.

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