LONDON (AP) \u2014 A Russian warship fired warning shots near a U.K.-registered pleasure yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday, authorities said, an incident that caused no damage but illustrated heightened tensions between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s Defense Ministry launched an investigation after the yacht reported being fired on by a Russian navy vessel about 20 nautical miles (23 miles, 37 kilometers) south of the Isle of Wight, outside U.K. territorial waters.<\/p>\n
There were no reports of injuries or damage to the sailing yacht, which continued its journey from the U.K. toward France.<\/p>\n
The BBC reported that the yacht, which has no motor, had drifted toward the Russian vessel in foggy conditions.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry said the crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich tried to contact the yacht when it was seen sailing on a \u201cdangerous course in close proximity with the warship.\u201d It said the ship\u2019s crew launched flares and issued sound signals when the yacht did not respond.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the distance had closed to 150 meters (500 feet), the frigate\u2019s commander decided to fire warning shots across the vessel\u2019s bow using small arms,\u201d the ministry said. It said the yacht then changed course and sailed away.<\/p>\n
The ministry said the ship\u2019s crew \u201cacted in strict accordance\u201d with international navigation rules to avoid a collision.<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s account of the incident was similar.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots. These were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision,\u201d Britain\u2019s Defense Ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely shadowed by the Royal Navy, and patrol vessel HMS Mersey was monitoring the Russian ship at the time of the reported incident and provided support to the yacht\u2019s crew.<\/p>\n
The British military said last month that it had monitored the Admiral Grigorovich throughout April as the Russian ship escorted six Russia-linked civilian vessels near the U.K.<\/p>\n
The altercation occurred two days after British commandos boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker<\/a> in the Channel that is suspected of being part of the Russian \u201cshadow fleet.\u201d<\/a> British defense officials said they don\u2019t believe the two events are linked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for Morning Wire:<\/strong> The tanker\u2019s captain, an Indian national charged with shipping Russian oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow\u2019s war on Ukraine<\/a>, was ordered held in jail after appearing Tuesday in court.<\/p>\n The British military has had several close encounters with Russian vessels in the region and warned Moscow in November that it was ready to deal with any incursion into its territory after the spy ship<\/a> Yantar was detected on the edge of U.K. waters north of Scotland.<\/p>\n
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