'Reckless': Starmer Tells G7 Russian Warship Terrified Couple Aboard Yacht With Warning Shots
'Reckless': Starmer Tells G7 Russian Warship Terrified Couple Aboard Yacht With Warning Shots Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 15:44 IST The civilian, who
'Reckless': Starmer Tells G7 Russian Warship Terrified Couple Aboard Yacht With Warning Shots Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 15:44 IST The civilian, who were on the yacht, also condemned the incident while pointing out that the two vessels were "definitely not on a collision course". Rapid Read UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the G7 Summit. (Image: AFP) A day after a Russian warship fired warning shots in front of a UK-flagged yacht in the English Channel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the action “reckless" and said the civilians on the yacht “must have been terrified". On Tuesday, the Russian defence ministry said the crew of the frigate observed the yacht sailing on what it described as a “dangerous course" that would bring it into close proximity with the warship.
The incident took place around 20 miles (32 kilometres) south of the Isle of Wight, outside British territorial waters. They said that the sailors had made several attempts to contact the yacht’s crew by radio but received no response. After the vessel continued on its course, the warship launched signal flares in an effort to attract attention. Check for Live Updates On G7 Summit When the yacht reportedly closed to within approximately 150 metres of the frigate, the commander of the Admiral Grigorovich ordered warning shots to be fired along the sailboat’s projected course using small arms, the ministry said. The incident has been slammed by the UK Prime Minister for scaring the civilians. At the G7 summit in France on Wednesday, Starmer said the incident was “deeply concerning".
“That shouldn’t have happened. It is reckless, and the couple on the yacht must’ve been terrified," he said. Jane Kelvey, who was sailing along with her husband in international waters on board the yacht, said the two vessels were “definitely not on a collision course". She told BBC Newsnight that the Russian navy vessel “gave out five blasts on their horn, which means ‘have you seen us?’" “We immediately turned two degrees to port so they could see we had made a deliberate change of course, which meant we had seen them," she said. “Then a minute or so later they gave another five blasts on their horn, immediately followed by four to five small arms fire." Calling the gunfire as “completely unnecessary," Kelvey said: “As far as we were concerned, it wasn’t an incident until the gunfire started." News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Location: France First Published: June 17, 2026, 15:44 IST News world 'Reckless': Starmer Tells G7 Russian Warship Terrified Couple Aboard Yacht With Warning Shots Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s.
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