LONDON — The U.K.’s Ministry of Defence is investigating reports that a Russian frigate fired shots at a British yacht in the English Channel.
On Tuesday a U.K.-registered yacht alleged that a Russian navy frigate — the Admiral Grigorovich — fired warning shots south of the Isle of Wight, outside Britain’s territorial waters, defense officials said.
No injuries or damage have been reported, and a military vessel dispatched from the U.K. has visited the yacht to gather details and check that those onboard are safe.
The Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Mersey was monitoring the Russian frigate at the time the incident took place.
The alleged shots are being assessed as an isolated incident, unrelated to the boarding a Russian oil tanker by British forces on Sunday.
“We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel,” said a Ministry of Defence spokesperson.
This is a breaking story and is being updated.