On Sunday, the United Kingdom intercepted a ship belonging to the Russian Shadow Fleet
A retired British couple caught up in a tense standoff with a Russian warship in the English Channel have strongly denied claims that they endangered the ship, insisting they “followed all the rules” before firing warning shots nearby.Jane Kelvey, 68, and her husband Alan, 70, were sailing on their 40ft yacht Bright Future from southern England to France on Tuesday when the accident happened about 23 miles off the Isle of Wight.
The couple says they were not on a collision course
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the yacht made a “dangerous approach” toward the frigate Admiral Grigorovich, forcing sailors to fire warning shots after using radio calls, flares and audio signals to alert the crew.However, the Kilveys have rejected this account outright. “We were certainly not the guilty party,” Jane Kelvey told the media, stressing that the yacht was never on a collision course with the Russian ship.She said the pair regularly encounter naval vessels while sailing, and usually expect exclusion zones or navigational instructions to be radioed. “There was absolutely nothing heard on our radio,” she said.
Horn blasts followed by gunfire
Recalling the incident, Kelvey said the warship initially sounded five blasts on its horn, a maritime signal asking if another ship had been sighted.The pair responded by changing course slightly to indicate that they had noticed the frigate. But moments later, more explosions were followed by several small arms shots.Kelvey said the shots appeared to be warning shots directed into the air rather than towards the yacht.
After the shooting, the couple started their engine and quickly changed course to get away from the area.
Russia and the United Kingdom offer two conflicting versions
Russia insists its crew acted “in strict accordance with international shipping regulations” and says warning shots were only fired after repeated attempts to contact the yacht failed.The British couple dispute this account, saying they did not receive any radio contact or see any warning flares before the shots were fired.The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) acknowledged the incident, stating that the warning shots “were not directed at the ship” and were intended to prevent a possible collision.Officials believe the Russian frigate was drifting rather than maneuvering under force at the time.
Couple criticizes official response
Despite official assurances, the Kelvey family remains frustrated by insinuations that they are responsible for the confrontation.According to the BBC, Jane Kelvey called the shooting “completely unnecessary” and said she reported the incident as a navigational hazard.The couple later claimed that authorities seemed keen to downplay attention to the incident, saying they felt the narrative unfairly placed blame on them.
Starmer calls incident ‘reckless’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “deeply worrying” and “reckless”, stressing that there was no indication of anything more sinister behind the meeting.“The MoD’s assessment is that the Russian ship was drifting out of control,” Starmer said, adding that the Kelveys must have been “terrified” by the experience.The Royal Navy ship HMS Mersey was monitoring the Russian warship as it transited through the canal, as is routine practice for Russian naval vessels passing through the busy waterway.This incident comes just days after British forces intercepted a Russian tanker named the “Shadow Fleet” carrying sanctioned oil in the canal, adding another layer of tension to the already strained relations between the UK and Russia.