A British couple who found themselves in a tense stand-off with a Russian warship in the English Channel have spoken out about their harrowing experience after making it safely to France, delivering a defiant message.
Alan Kelvey, 71, and his wife Jane, 69, were aboard their yacht Bright Future when shots were reportedly fired from the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich sailing nearby.
The pair had set off from Lymington in Hampshire in the early hours and were approximately 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight when the alarming incident took place on Thursday.
View 3 ImagesThe couple were left visibly shaken after the ordeal (Image: MARINETRAFFIC/DAVID DAVID POTTER)
Upon docking in Cherbourg later that day, fellow sailors described the couple as visibly shaken by their ordeal.
One onlooker recalled Jane responding with typical wit when told she should have fired back, reportedly quipping: “I would have if we’d had something.”, reports the Express.
The yacht owners subsequently gave their own version of events, firmly maintaining that they had not been heading towards the Russian vessel.
Jane reportedly said: “We could see the ship in the distance with what looked like Cyrillic writing on the side. We heard five blasts on their horn, as a warning.
“We weren’t moving towards them – we were at a safe distance. But we began pulling further away from them.”
Speaking to the Sun, she revealed that a second round of warning blasts preceded the sound of gunfire.
“We heard another five blasts on the horn as a warning. Then we heard four or five gun shots,” she told reporters.
Alan is said to have added: “We didn’t have any contact from them on our radio.”
The couple subsequently alerted the emergency services, triggering a response from the Royal Navy.
View 3 ImagesShots were fired from the Russian ship(Image: Getty Images)
The Russian frigate had already been under surveillance by Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Mersey, while HMS Tyne dispatched a small boat to assess the wellbeing of those on board the yacht.
The incident drew expressions of astonishment from defence and naval figures.
Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord and Security Minister, described the episode as “extraordinary”.
He said: “Never in my 61 years in the Navy have I ever come across this before. It’s absolutely extraordinary behaviour and I’d like to ask the Russian captain what on earth did he think he was doing.”
Lord West noted that even in disputes involving civilian vessels, opening fire was highly uncommon.
He 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.”
Royal Navy sources indicated that the Russian vessel may have experienced technical problems along one of the world’s most heavily trafficked shipping lanes, potentially heightening tensions.
The incident occurred just days after Royal Marines boarded a ship linked to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Channel.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has since challenged the British couple’s version of events. In a statement, the ministry claimed Bright Future was heading on a perilous trajectory towards the frigate, and that numerous attempts were made to reach the yacht via international radio channels.
Warning flares and sound signals were deployed before the vessel allegedly pressed on with its approach, according to the statement.
Moscow claimed the frigate’s commander subsequently authorised small-arms fire across the yacht’s path after it closed to within 150 metres of the warship.
Russian officials insisted the yacht altered course immediately following the incident.
Article continues below
The full circumstances of the encounter remain a matter of dispute.