A British couple caught up in a confrontation with a Russian warship in the English Channel have spoken of their ordeal after reaching France safely, and issued a defiant message.

Alan Kelvey, 71, and his wife Jane, 69, were sailing aboard their yacht Bright Future when shots were reportedly fired from the nearby Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich.

The couple had left Lymington in Hampshire during the early hours and were around 20 miles south of the Isle of Wight when the incident unfolded on Thursday.

After arriving in Cherbourg later that day, the pair were described by fellow sailors as visibly shaken by what had happened.

One witness said Jane responded with characteristic humour when told she should have fired back, reportedly replying: "I would have if we'd had something."

The yacht owners later gave their own account of the incident, insisting they had not been steering towards the Russian vessel.

Jane reportedly said: "We could see the ship in the distance with what looked like Cyrillic writing on the side. We heard five blasts on their horn, as a warning.

"We weren't moving towards them — we were at a safe distance. But we began pulling further away from them."

Speaking with the Sun, she said a second series of warning blasts followed before gunfire was heard.

"We heard another five blasts on the horn as a warning. Then we heard four or five gun shots," she told reporters.

Alan is said to have added: "We didn't have any contact from them on our radio."

The couple later contacted emergency services, prompting a response from the Royal Navy.

The Russian frigate was already being monitored by the Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Mersey, while HMS Tyne launched a small boat to check on the welfare of those aboard the yacht.

Defence and naval figures reacted with surprise to the incident.

Admiral Lord West, the former First Sea Lord and Security Minister, described the episode as "extraordinary".

He said: "Never in my 61 years in the Navy have I ever come across this before. It's absolutely extraordinary behaviour and I'd like to ask the Russian captain what on earth did he think he was doing."

Lord West said that even during disputes involving civilian vessels, opening fire was highly unusual.

He added: "We've had fishing disputes but we don't fire guns to warn people.

"I was always having yachts coming and having a look at my ships, sometimes in quite confined water, but I didn't shoot at them."

Royal Navy sources suggested the Russian vessel may have encountered technical difficulties in one of the world's busiest shipping routes, potentially contributing to tensions.

The incident came just days after Royal Marines boarded a vessel linked to Russia's so-called shadow fleet in the Channel.

Russia's Defence Ministry has disputed the British couple's account.

In a statement, it claimed Bright Future was travelling on a dangerous course towards the frigate and that repeated attempts were made to contact the yacht over international radio channels.

The ministry said warning flares and sound signals were used before the vessel allegedly continued its approach.

According to Moscow, the frigate's commander then authorised small-arms fire across the yacht's course after it came within 150 metres of the warship.

Russian officials claimed the yacht changed direction immediately afterwards.

The circumstances surrounding the encounter remain disputed.