A Russian military ship fired “warning” shots against the British destroyer “Hms Defender” sailing off the coast of Crimea, in the Black Sea, in violation, according to Moscow, of Russian territorial waters, the agency said Tass.
This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry, according to which the shots were fired after the British Defender ignored a warning against the intrusion into Russian territorial waters. Also according to reports from Moscow, one of its Su-24 bomber also dropped bombs in front of the British ship to convince her to change course.
The British military attaché is summoned
The military attaché of the British embassy in Moscow was summoned to the Ministry of Defense “regarding the violation of the Russian borders by a British destroyer”, the Ministry of Defense announced, which asked London to “investigate the actions of the ship’s crew.
GB denies warning shots
London denied, as reported by Moscow, that a Russian patrol boat and an Su-24 jet fired warning shots at the British destroyer who, according to Moscow’s version, violated Russian territorial waters in the Black Sea. in the Capo Fiolent area.
“No warning shots were fired at the HMS Defender”, the British Defense Ministry wrote on Twitter, “the Royal Navy vessel was making an innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in compliance with international law”.
The declaration also mentions “military maneuvers” underway in the same area of the Black Sea by Russian forces, as “communicated to the maritime community” by Moscow, suggesting that the shots could have to do with training shots fired. in that area. “No shot – however the spokesman reiterates – was fired in the direction of the HMS Defender and we do not recognize the assertion that bombs were dropped along its route”.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea in 2014 in a referendum not recognized by the international community.