UK PM calls Channel incident 'reckless'

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday the firing of warning shots by a ​Russian frigate to divert a UK-flagged civilian yacht ‌near British territorial waters was reckless and deeply concerning.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, according to statements from the defence ​ministries of Britain and Russia. They said the ​firing was designed to prevent a collision after ⁠unsuccessful attempts by the Admiral Grigorovich to contact ​the yacht.

"What happened in the Channel was deeply concerning. ​It was reckless," Starmer, who is in France for the G7 summit, told BBC News.

He said the Ministry of Defence's ​assessment was that the Russian vessel was "drifting, and ​they were warning shots".

"That shouldn't have happened. It is reckless, and ‌the ⁠couple on the yacht must've been terrified."

The Russian ministry said on Tuesday the crew of the frigate spotted a yacht travelling on a course that risked ​collision with the ​ship.

After repeated ⁠attempts to establish radio contact failed, the frigate fired warning shots, including small ​arms fire, ahead of the yacht, the ​ministry said. ⁠It said the yacht then altered course and moved away.

Britain's defence ministry described it as "an isolated incident" and ⁠not ​linked to the interception of a ​Russian shadow fleet vessel by British commandos over the weekend.

-Reuters