Why a Russian frigate fired warning shots at a British yacht YouTube

The Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich fired warning shots at a yacht in the English Channel, and the following discussion revealed many misunderstandings about how warships operate. In this video, I explain the standard reactions warships have toward asymmetric threats and when they might start firing warning shots. The frigate's actions were aggressive, but they should not be seen as surprising — and yachters should keep a good distance from Russian warships for their own safety.

0:00 Intro
1:00 Warships are vulnerable
1:31 Standard operating procedures
3:43 Asymmetric threats
4:32 Steps in self defense
7:31 English Channel incident
8:43 Not a warzone?
10:18 The frigate shouldn't be there
11:14 Don't go near Russian warships