After the British intercepted, boarded, and stopped a shadow Russian tanker carrying oil despite sanctions, a Russian frigate — the Admiral Grigorovich (pictured above) — has fired warning shots in the English Channel. The shots were fired near a British yacht sailing between the Isle of Wight and Normandy.
The shots followed an audible demand for the yacht to get out of the frigate’s way, according to BBC reports. The two vessels were within 500 yards of each other when the shots were fired. The frigate reportedly had been ordered to escort shadow tankers through the channel.
The incident took place while G-7 leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, were gathered in France to discuss global issues, including the wars in Ukraine and Iran, though the latter may now be subject to a renewed ceasefire.
President Trump has famously diminished the U.S. role in NATO, even threatening to pull out (which he cannot do without Congressional approval). Trump’s stance, along with the drastic depletion of U.S. weapons stockpiles following the Iran assault, has emboldened Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
