A Russian Navy frigate fired warning shots near a British-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, prompting an investigation by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The incident is said to have occurred roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside British territorial waters. No injuries or damage have been reported to the civilian vessel. British naval personnel later checked on the yacht's crew, who continued their journey unharmed.Two Royal Navy River-class offshore patrol vessels, HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne, had followed the ship through the Channel on Monday afternoon before the incident unfolded on Tuesday.According to reports told to SkyNews, the yacht approached very closely to the warship and warning signals were issued before a small number of warning shots were fired, as the yacht drifted near the warship in foggy conditions. British defence officials have indicated the rounds were not directed at the yacht itself, though firing warning shots in such circumstances is considered highly unusual. The Royal Navy had been monitoring the Russian vessel at the time of the encounter.The incident comes just days after British forces forces boarded and seized the Russian-linked tanker Smyrtos, which London says was part of Russia's sanctions-evasion "shadow fleet," as part of sanctions enforcement efforts tied to the war in Ukraine. British forces boarded and seized the tanker in the English Channel on Sunday in what officials described as the first UK-led operation of its kind since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While UK officials have not formally linked the two events, the timing has heightened concerns about growing maritime tensions between London and Moscow in one of the world's busiest shipping corridors....more to come
