The incident occurred in the English Channel about 20 nautical miles off the Isle of Wight.
Sailors on a Russian warship fired warning shots at a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel in the latest sign of tensions with Vladimir Putin’s country.
The incident is understood to have involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside the UK’s territorial waters.
There were no injuries and the yacht received no damage in the incident on Tuesday.
The crew of the yacht claimed the warning shots were fired at a distance of approximately 500 yards (457 metres).
Russian warships passing through the English Channel are routinely shadowed by the Royal Navy, with offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey monitoring the Admiral Grigorovich at the time of the incident.
A boat from HMS Tyne, another patrol vessel, was sent to the yacht to gather details and check on the safety of the crew.
It is being viewed as an isolated incident, unrelated to UK action on Sunday which saw Royal Marine commandos and officers from the National Crime Agency board the sanctioned Russian shadow fleet tanker, Smyrtos, in the channel.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel.”
The Russian embassy in the UK has been approached for comment.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the incident was “very concerning” and the UK should “be in no doubt that Russia poses a direct threat”.
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman James MacClearly said: “Reports of a Russian warship firing warning shots in the English Channel are deeply concerning.
“Russia is quite literally on our doorstep. Aggression and intimidation in our waters must not be tolerated.”
The UK’s support for Ukraine and sanctions aimed at crippling Mr Putin’s ability to finance his 2022 invasion have contributed to a deterioration in relations with Moscow.
The seizure of the Smyrtos was the first such action by British forces, although the UK had previously helped allies targeting sanctioned tankers.
The captain of the tanker, which was carrying 98,000 tonnes of oil, appeared in court on Tuesday charged with breaching sanctions.
Indian national Ajay Pant has been charged with directly or indirectly supplying or delivering by ship prohibited oil or oil products from Russia to a third country in June 2026, in contravention of Regulation 46Z9B of the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.
The 38-year-old appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court by video link from Bournemouth police station on Tuesday for a preliminary hearing during which he spoke to confirm his name and date of birth and gave his address as being in India.
