Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the firing of warning shots by a Russian warship in the English Channel as "deeply concerning and reckless," while warning that the United Kingdom faces proxy attacks from Russia "every single day."
Incident Details
The incident occurred at 11:40 am on Tuesday, more than 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight and less than 40 miles north of Normandy, France. The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots after a private yacht, identified as the Bright Future, sailed close to the vessel and ignored at least one warning.
British sources indicated that Russian sailors fired more than one shot after the yacht approached the heavily armed frigate. The Ministry of Defence stated that the warning shots were not aimed at the vessel but were an attempt to prevent a possible collision.
Russia's defence ministry later claimed the yacht was on a "dangerous course" and that several attempts were made to contact it. They said signal rockets were fired, but the yacht continued to within 150 metres before a warning shot was fired.
Starmer's Response
Speaking from the G7 summit in France, Starmer said the incident "shouldn't have happened" and expressed concern for the yacht's occupants. "The couple on the yacht must be terrified, and I think everybody will feel for them as I do," he told the BBC.
The prime minister also addressed a separate arson attack on his home, for which two men were found guilty on Monday, operating under instruction from an online handler with links to Russia. Starmer said he was "very pleased that justice has been done" but noted the impact on his family.
Broader Context
Starmer warned that the world is dealing with an "aggressive" Russia, citing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and proxy attacks across Europe. "We're dealing with that every single day, they take different forms, but that is the Russia that we are dealing with," he said.
At the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, Starmer vowed to "choke off" Russian revenue with further sanctions and provide hundreds of millions of pounds in energy support for Ukraine. He also focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz after a US-Iran ceasefire and supporting Ukraine to turn military pressure into lasting peace.
"It will have a massive impact on our country, and I am really proud to have the United Kingdom here at the G7 seen as one of the leading countries in the huge debates on both of those issues," he concluded.
