The eye-catching incident on Tuesday, when the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots near a passing British yacht, was reckless and unprofessional. But it was not a dramatic escalation of geopolitical tensions. Nor was it likely direct retaliation for the Royal Marines boarding the unflagged “shadow fleet” vessel Smyrtos days earlier.
Sir Keir Starmer was right to downplay the encounter as clumsy rather than a Russian conspiracy. But the drama exposes a fragile reality.
The two Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels involved in the incident, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey, will leave naval service in April 2028, further cutting the size of our beleaguered fleet. Likely budget cuts over the next few years will further curtail active operations in our home waters, while chronic uncertainty over defence plans threatens to leave the UK even more vulnerable.
Shorts
Even without Russian navy vessels loitering outside of our waters, it would be a pretty ugly picture.
