A RUSSIAN warship fired at two retired Brits in the Channel yesterday.
Alan Kelvey, 71, and wife Jane, 69, were on a yacht shot at by .
Alan Kelvey, 71, and wife Jane were on a yacht shot at by Vladimir Putin’s crew Credit: Facebook
Shaken Jane, 69, and Alan radioed for help before a Royal Navy crew raced to the scene Credit: Facebook
Last night the couple were said to be “shaky”.
The defiant British couple shot at in by a Russian warship last night said: “We would have fired back if we had something.”
The couple were said to be “shaky” but undaunted as they arrived in France following a terrifying encounter with frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich.
The retirees had set sail from Lymington, Hants, at around 4am and were 20 miles south of the in international waters when the Russian ship opened fire.
Several shots were launched from “small arms” 500 yards from the couple’s position at around 11.40am.
It is thought to be the first time a foreign warship has fired shots in the Channel – apart from allies training off Plymouth – since the end of .
Defence experts last night slammed the Russians’ aggression as “unusual and highly escalatory”.
Shaken Alan and Jane radioed for help before a crew raced to the scene.
A Russian warship the Admiral Grigorovich opened fire in the Channel Credit: PA
The pair were interviewed by in Cherbourg after they safely moored their 39ft Bavaria yacht Bright Future.
Another British couple helped them tie up the vessel as they arrived at a boat club at around 6pm.
They told The Sun: “They were shaky when they arrived. My husband helped them with their ropes to tie up alongside.
“They didn’t say much apart from that they had been shot at. My husband said, ‘You should have shot back’, and the wife replied, ‘I would have if we had had something’.
“We couldn’t believe it. It must have been very scary but she was typically British about it.
“She said a Royal Navy ship had stopped with them in the Channel after it happened.”
Royal Navy sources believe the 10-year-old Russian vessel had broken down in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, which may have made crew nervous.
One said: “We assess it was drifting, rather than being manoeuvred under power, which may have led it to feel more vulnerable and to shots being fired.”
The 409ft frigate — armed with a devastating 3.9inch main gun — was being shadowed by offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey at the time.
A second patrol ship immediately launched an inflatable and raced to the edge of the yacht to check that the crew were OK.
It came barely 48 hours after crack Royal Marine commandos stormed , , suspected of smuggling oil through the Channel.
, a former First Sea Lord and Security Minister, last night called the Russians’ actions “extraordinary”.
French cops speak to the ‘shaken’ couple on their yacht Bright Future Credit: Sun collect
The defiant British couple shot at in the Channel by a Russian warship said: ‘We would have fired back if we had something’ Credit: Bright Future Sailing
He said: “Never in my 61 years in the Navy have I ever come across this before. It is absolutely extraordinary behaviour and I would like to ask the Russian captain what on earth did he think he was doing. You can sound your horn, you can flash a light, you can call them on the VHF radio.”
In close calls with civilian vessels, warships rarely if ever opened fire, he insisted.
Lord West added: “We’ve had fishing disputes but we don’t fire guns to warn people.
“I was always having yachts coming and having a look at my ships, sometimes in quite confined water, but I didn’t shoot at them.”
A civilian merchant navy captain said conditions were clear and the sea was calm, and added: “Firing shots was extreme.”
Mr and Mrs Kelvey, from Iver, Bucks, are thought to have owned the Bright Future since 2010, restoring it with the help of their kids.
Two years ago Alan announced his retirement from his firm Display Signs Limited.
He said: “From next year I intend devoting my time documenting the adventures of my wife Jane and myself aboard our faithful 12-metre yacht Bright Future sailing around the UK and abroad.”
The couple are thought to have owned the tiny vessel Bright Future since 2010, restoring it with the help of their kids
Vladimir Putin’s frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, fired on a Brit couple in their tiny vessel Credit: Reuters
The Admiral Grigorovich is routinely shadowed by the Royal Navy while it escorts Russian cargo ships.
A Navy source said it did not attempt to communicate with either or .
However the Russian defence ministry last night claimed the yacht was “following a dangerous course”.
It said: “The crew of the frigate Admiral Grigorovich in the English Channel discovered the civilian sailing yacht Bright Future, flying the British flag, which was following a dangerous course under engines to approach the ship.
“In accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, the frigate’s crew made several attempts to contact the civilian vessel on the international radio channel.
“There was no change in the yacht’s course or response to the international radio channel requests. To attract the attention of the yacht’s crew, flares were fired and sound signals were sounded. Despite these measures, the vessel continued its dangerous approach.
“After closing the distance to 150 metres, the frigate’s commander decided to fire pre-emptively at the vessel’s course with small arms. The British-flagged yacht then immediately changed course.”
It comes amid soaring UK-Russian tensions at sea.
'Warning' blasts are alarming
By
THE last time shots were fired in the Channel, this country was at war.
The world’s busiest shipping lane has been largely peaceful for 80 years, save for the odd fishing dispute.
So it is extraordinary — and alarming — that a Russian warship should fire warning shots yesterday at a tiny pleasure yacht just 20 miles off the Isle of Wight.
It comes days after Royal Marine commandos seized a Russian shadow fleet tanker for the first time.
Yet the Royal Navy, the Ministry of Defence and indeed the Kremlin were all trying to play down the seriousness of the Admiral Grigorovich incident last night.
The Royal Navy said that the Russian vessel had been adrift, which may have made it nervous and a little bit trigger-happy.
Moscow claims the British yacht had ignored warnings and was on a collision course.
It is certainly not Article 5. It is not a declaration of war.
But it is yet another notch on the thermometer of soaring global tensions.
In March and April Royal Navy ships and planes tracked a major in the north Atlantic.
In 2024 was caught in the Irish Sea.
In December 2021, a Russian warship fired warning shots at as it sailed through international waters past .
said yesterday’s shots “were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision”.
It added: “We assess that this is an isolated incident and not linked to the UK’s interception of the Smyrtos this weekend.
“HMS Mersey has been monitoring the Russian vessel and support has been provided to the crew of the yacht.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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