London: The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots near a British-registered cruise ship in the English Channel on Tuesday morning to prevent a collision, the BBC reported.
The report said the cruise ship drifted towards the warship in foggy conditions about 20 nautical miles (37 km) south of the Isle of Wight before the warship sounded a warning and fired warning shots.
A Russian defence ministry spokesman was quoted by the BBC as saying the warning shots were not aimed at the ship but were an attempt to prevent a possible collision.
The ministry said in a statement on the Telegram channel that the warship’s commander had decided to take action “Preliminary fire” with small arms after closing to a distance of 150 meters.
The crew of the warship acted in strict accordance with international navigation regulations and took all necessary measures to prevent the incident. After this, the pleasure boat immediately changed course and left the Russian warship.
Translated by Chhouk Bora
