Britain's military has opened an investigation into reports that a Russian warship discharged warning shots at a yacht navigating the English Channel, AP reported. The Defense Ministry confirmed Tuesday it was "investigating reports of an incident in the Channel."
The vessel at the center of the incident was a UK-registered yacht, which reported being fired upon by a Russian navy ship roughly 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight – a location outside British territorial waters.
No casualties or structural damage to the yacht have been reported.
At the time of the firing, the Royal Navy vessel HMS Mersey was stationed nearby and actively monitoring the Russian warship. The episode occurred just two days after armed British personnel boarded and seized a sanctioned tanker in the Channel suspected of operating as part of Russia's "shadow fleet." Authorities have declined to draw a connection between the two events.
The tanker's captain – an Indian national facing charges of transporting Russian oil in breach of international sanctions tied to Moscow's war on Ukraine – was remanded in custody following a court appearance Tuesday, AP reported.
