Russian warship fires warning shots near UK-registered yacht in Channel

A Russian warship fired warning shots near a UK-registered yacht in the English Channel on Tuesday morning.

The incident, which happened between the Isle of Wight and Normandy, involved a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich.

BBC News understands that the small, motor-less yacht had drifted towards the warship in foggy conditions after setting off from the UK.

The Russian vessel fired warning shots after sounding an audible warning to get the yacht to move out of its way.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We are investigating reports of an incident in the Channel."

British authorities received reports from the yacht's occupants that the Russian vessel had fired warning shots from around 500 yards (457 meters) away - a relatively near distance by the standards of sea travel.

The incident happened around 20 nautical miles - around 23 standard miles - south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters.

It comes days after Royal Marine Commandos intercepted a Russian shadow fleet tanker carrying sanctioned oil in the Channel on Sunday, in the first operation of its kind carried out by the British military.