A British retired couple sailing on their yacht had a tense encounter with a Russian warship that fired warning shots near the Isle of Wight. Jane Kelvey, 68, and Alan Kelvey, 70, were aboard their 40ft yacht named Bright Future en route from the English south coast to France when the shots were discharged from the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich.
Mrs. Kelvey described the incident as “a bit scary” and mentioned that although they felt their safety was not directly threatened, the encounter was definitely unusual. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) clarified that the shots were not meant to hit the yacht but were fired as a precaution to avoid a potential collision.
The couple reported that they had not received any prior communication attempts from the Russian vessel and deemed the warning shots unnecessary. The Royal Navy routinely monitors Russian warships passing through the English Channel, with the HMS Mersey observing the Admiral Grigorovich during the incident.
After contacting the UK Coastguard, a patrol vessel from HMS Tyne was dispatched to the yacht to ensure their safety. The MoD stated that this incident was isolated and unrelated to previous events. The Russian defense ministry claimed that the warning shots were fired due to the yacht’s “dangerous approach,” while the couple disputed this account, insisting they were not on a collision course.
The Kelveys highlighted that the Russian warship did not appear on the automatic identification system (AIS) and did not attempt any communication before the warning shots were fired. They refuted the Russian statement regarding signal flares and maintained that the warship’s actions were unfounded. The couple emphasized that they were not at fault and were not intending to collide with the Russian vessel.
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