A Russian warship accused of intimidating British pensioners has returned to the English Channel, reigniting fears over Moscow’s increasingly aggressive naval activity close to Britain’s shores.
The frigate Admiral Grigorovich was spotted escorting a sanctioned shadow fleet oil tanker through the Channel — just days after it fired warning shots near a British couple’s yacht in a dramatic confrontation at sea.
The warship was observed guiding the tanker The Forwarder, a vessel linked by Western governments to Russia’s controversial shadow fleet network used to transport oil and evade sanctions.
The return of the Russian naval vessel came after the dramatic encounter involving Alan and Jane Kelvey, a retired British couple sailing their yacht near the Isle of Wight.
The couple said they were left shaken after the Russian frigate fired several shots into the air as it approached their yacht.
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“We were not on a collision course in any way, shape or form,” they said.
“We didn’t do anything wrong.”
The couple said they followed international collision regulations and that the closest point between the vessels was around 500 metres before they started their engine after hearing gunfire.
The incident unfolded roughly 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside British territorial waters but in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
The Russian frigate’s actions triggered scrutiny from maritime experts, who questioned whether proper navigation procedures had been followed.
The vessel reportedly did not broadcast its position or use required sound warnings in poor visibility conditions, unlike British and Nato ships operating in the area.
The Admiral Grigorovich was monitored by Royal Navy vessels, including HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne, which tracked the Russian movements through the Channel.
The encounter comes amid growing concern over Russia’s shadow fleet — hundreds of vessels accused by Western governments of helping Moscow continue oil exports despite sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
The tanker being escorted by the Russian warship has been sanctioned by Britain, the United States and the European Union and has operated under different names.
Since British forces boarded the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in a major operation earlier this month, other Russian-linked vessels have reportedly altered routes to avoid the Channel.
The Admiral Grigorovich is no ordinary patrol ship.
The 4,000-tonne guided missile frigate is one of Russia’s most advanced surface combatants, equipped for air defence, anti-submarine warfare and long-range missile operations.
Its appearance in the Channel has highlighted the increasingly tense military environment around Europe’s waterways.
The Ministry of Defence said the warning shots were not aimed at the yacht but were intended to prevent a possible collision.
However, for the British couple caught in the middle of the confrontation, the message was unmistakable: the war between Russia and the West is no longer confined to the battlefield.
The shadow of the conflict is now stretching into the waters surrounding Britain.
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