A retired British couple sailing from Lymington to Cherbourg were fired on by a Russian warship in the English Channel on Tuesday morning, in an incident that has drawn condemnation from the Prime Minister and prompted a Ministry of Defence investigation.
Jane and Alan Kelvey, aged 69 and 71, were aboard their 12-metre yacht Bright Future when the Russian Navy frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired four to five rounds of small-arms warning shots across their path. The incident occurred approximately 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight, outside UK territorial waters but within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
Mr Kelvey said the couple first spotted the warship stationary in the Channel with no flags or AIS signal. When they closed to around 400 to 500 yards, the frigate sounded five blasts on its horn. He adjusted course by a couple of degrees to port. The ship sounded five more blasts, then opened fire.
“We distinctly heard the gunshot fire,” Mr Kelvey told the Daily Telegraph. “It made us change course abruptly. It made us turn our engine on and disappear at 90 degrees.”
Russia’s account placed the closest approach at 150 metres; the British account put it at 457 metres. Mr Kelvey flatly rejected suggestions the encounter was hampered by fog, saying visibility was clear and he could see the warship from miles away.
HMS Tyne was shadowing the Admiral Grigorovich at the time of the incident and later dispatched a boat to the Bright Future to check on the Kelveys.
Royal Navy patrol vessels HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne were already monitoring the Admiral Grigorovich as part of routine operations when the incident unfolded. The frigate has been a regular presence in the Channel, where the Royal Navy has tracked its transits for several months. In April, it had shepherded at least six tankers and supply ships, along with a submarine, during Channel crossings.
The incident came two days after Royal Marines boarded and seized the Smyrtos, a shadow tanker carrying sanctioned Russian oil, also in the Channel. The UK Government does not currently view the two events as related.
Speaking at the G7, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the shots “reckless” but said the MoD’s assessment was that the frigate had been drifting rather than acting with hostile intent. The Kelveys disputed that characterisation. Mr Kelvey said the MoD appeared to be “trying to close the story down,” adding: “It’s inflammatory, isn’t it?”
Mrs Kelvey phoned the Coastguard after the encounter to report what she described as a hazard of navigation. The couple arrived in Cherbourg without injury and said the incident had not altered their holiday plans.
The Admiral Grigorovich is a Project 11356R frigate displacing 4,000 tons. The MoD said it was investigating.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
