Russian Frigate Admiral Grigorovich Fires Warning Shots at British Yacht in the English Channel

The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a British yacht in the English Channel.

This was reported by The Telegraph.

According to the publication, on June 15, the British Coast Guard received a report from a civilian vessel flying the British flag stating that the Russian frigate had fired a warning shot following a dangerous close encounter between the two vessels.

The frigate Admiral Grigorovich has been operating near British waters for several weeks. It was previously spotted escorting oil tankers belonging to the shadow fleet, as well as near an offshore wind farm off the coast of Suffolk.

Prior to the incident, the Russian ship was escorted across the English Channel by two Royal Navy River-class patrol ships — HMS Mersey and HMS Tyne.

Earlier, on June 14, it was reported that the British Armed Forces had detained a Russian tanker for the first time since the government’s March 25, 2026, decision authorizing the interception of vessels belonging to the Russian shadow fleet.

The vessel in question was the oil tanker SMYRTOS, flying the Cameroonian flag, which had departed from the port of Ust-Luga and was heading in an unknown direction.

The operation to seize the vessel was carried out by Royal Marines in conjunction with officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The operation lasted a total of six hours. Chinook, Merlin Mk4, and Wildcat helicopters from the Maritime Air Group, the aviation wing of the Royal Navy, were deployed to carry out the operation and maintain control of the situation.

Monitoring was also conducted by a Royal Air Force P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft and surface ships — the Type 23 frigate HMS Sutherland and the mine countermeasures vessel HMS Ledbury.

Once the operation is complete, the tanker is to be towed to a berth off the southern coast of England for further monitoring and investigation.

Following the detention of the SMYRTOS, other vessels of the Russian shadow fleet that were approaching the English Channel altered their routes.

Admiral Grigorovich

Project 11356R Burevestnik is a series of Russian multi-purpose frigates developed for the Russian Navy based on the export-type Talwar frigates originally built for the Indian Navy. The project was developed as a temporary solution due to delays in the construction of Project 22350 frigates.

Specifications:

• Full displacement: approximately 4,000 metric tons.
• Length: 124.8 m.
• Beam: 15.2 m.
• Maximum speed: up to 30 knots.
• Cruising range up to 4,850–5,000 nautical miles.
• Endurance up to 30 days.
• Crew of 180–220 personnel.

Armament:

• 8 cells of the 3S14 universal vertical launch system for Kalibr family missiles.
• Shtil-1 anti-aircraft system with a supply of up to 24 missiles.
• A-190 100-mm artillery mount.
• Two six-barrel 30-mm AK-630M mounts.
• Two 533-mm torpedo tubes.
• An RBU-6000 rocket bomb launcher.
• A Ka-27 helicopter for anti-submarine warfare.

Six ships were planned for the Russian Navy, but due to the suspension of Ukrainian gas turbine engine supplies after 2014, the series was effectively never completed. The Black Sea Fleet now includes the Admiral Makarov, the Admiral Essen, and the Admiral Grigorovich.

Two other unfinished hulls were later completed for the Indian Navy, while a third is awaiting refit.