'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship

'It was surreal': British couple describe having warning shots fired near them by Russian warship 56 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Rachel Flynn , Matt Murphy , BBC Verify and Paul Adams , diplomatic correspondent Couple on board yacht that drifted towards Russian warship speak to BBC Newsnight A British retired couple who were on a yacht which had warning shots fired near it by a Russian warship in the English Channel on Tuesday have described the "surreal" experience to BBC Newsnight. Jane and Alan Kelvey were sailing 23 miles off the coast of the Isle of Wight on Tuesday morning when they came into close contact with a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich. The warship fired into the UK-registered yacht's path, in what the Ministry of Defence has described as an "isolated incident" and not linked to the seizure of a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the Channel on Sunday. Jane Kelvey told BBC Newsnight: "[The warship] gave out five blasts on their horn, which means 'have you seen us?' "We immediately turned two degrees to port so they could see we had made a deliberate change of course, which meant we had seen them. "Then a minute or so later they gave another five blasts on their horn, immediately followed by four to five small arms fire. "That wasn't aimed at us - it was warning fire that went up in the air, we believe." Jane said their yacht, the Bright Future, was "definitely not on a collision course", adding: "As far as we were concerned, it wasn't an incident until the gunfire started." Alan Kelvey said the gunfire had been "unnecessary", and the couple said a Royal Navy vessel arrived to check on their welfare shortly afterwards. The couple disputed elements of the Russian Defence Ministry's account, which said the yacht had been on a "dangerous approach" towards the warship. The ministry said its crew fired into the yacht's path with rifles after making several attempts to contact it over the radio and after launching warning flares. It also said its sailors had acted in "strict accordance with international shipping regulations", while the MoD said it was investigating the incident. Ministry of Defence The incident on Tuesday involved a Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich The BBC understands that the small, motor-less yacht had drifted towards the warship in foggy conditions after setting off from the UK. British officials believe the Admiral Grigorovich was attempting to signal it was drifting rather than being powered by its engines, therefore making it less manoeuvrable - possibly leading its crew to assess it was more vulnerable to a collision. An MoD spokesperson told the BBC: "Following attempts to contact a British vessel in the channel, the Grigorovich fired warning shots. These were not aimed at the vessel and were an attempt to prevent a possible collision." A boat from HMS Tyne, a British patrol vessel, was sent to the yacht to gather details and check on the safety of the crew. The incident comes d