As "surreal" they described their experience of two British pensioners aboard a sailboat in the Channel, when Russian frigate opened warning fire near their ship. Speaking to the BBC, they questioned Moscow's version of approaching the warship dangerously and argued that there was no incident until the shooting was heard.

How they describe the incident
Jane and Alan Kelvey sailed on Tuesday morning about 23 miles off the coast of White Island, when they contacted the Russian frigate "Admiral Grigorovic".

Speaking on the BBC Newsnight show, Jane Kelvey described the moment the Russian warship attempted to communicate with their sailboat, "Bright Future".

“We were finally not on a collision course. ‘

“We were going to miss them. ‘

British couple Jane and Alan Kelvey detail their experience when they yacht had warning shots fired near it by a Russian warship in the English Channel.#Newsnight pic.twitter. com/nMUZnU4jie— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) June 16, 2026

"The warship gave five sound signals with its siren, meaning "have you seen us?" he said. "We immediately turned two degrees to the left to understand that we had seen the ship and were deliberately changing course".

According to her, about a minute later another five sound signals followed and then four to five shots were heard from light weaponry.

"They weren't targeting us. We believe it was a warning fire thrown into the air," he said.

"There was no incident until the shooting began"
Jane Kelvey rejected the claim that the sailboat was on a collision course with the frigate.

"In no way were we on a collision course. From our side there was no incident until the shooting started," he said.

For his part, Alan Kelvey described the fire as "unnecessary", while the couple reported that shortly after British warship approached the sailboat to control the condition of the crew.

Russia’s version
The Russian defence ministry argued that the British sailboat was making a "dangerous approach" to the frigate.

According to Moscow, the warship crew repeatedly attempted to contact the sailboat via radio and launched warning flares before using rifles to fire warning fire ahead of the ship's course.

The Russian defence ministry further argued that the crew's actions were carried out "in full compliance with international navigation regulations".

What the British authorities say
The BBC reports that the small sailboat, which had no engine, had drifted towards the frigate due to weather conditions and fog after its departure from the United Kingdom.

British officials estimate that the Russian warship was trying to point out that the sailboat was drifting and did not move with driving force, which limited its maneuverability and possibly increased the risk of conflict.

A spokesman for the British defence ministry told the BBC: "After attempts to communicate with a British vessel in the English Channel, “Grigorovic” proceeded to a warning fire. They were not turning against the ship and their goal was to prevent a possible collision.".

The incident occurred about 20 nautical miles south of White Island, except for British territorial waters. According to the reports of the occupants, warning fire was fired from a distance of about 500 yards, or 457 meters.

The frigate "Admiral Grigorovic" was monitored by HMS Mersey as part of a regular operation by the British Navy, while after the incident at the point a boat was sent from HMS Tyne to collect information and find out the condition of the crew.