Moscow:
Russia on Wednesday fired warning shots at a British Navy destroyer in the Black Sea just after it violated the country’s territorial waters, the Russian defence ministry mentioned in a statement to news agencies.
The HMS Defender “was given a preliminary warning that weapons would be used if the state borders of the Russian Federation were violated. It did not react to the warning,” the ministry mentioned as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
According to the ministry, the incident took spot off the coast of Cape Fiolent on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The defence ministry added that “a border patrol ship fired warning shots” and then a Su-24 aircraft dropped 4 bombs along the destroyer’s path.
The ministry mentioned the ship left Russian waters just after the shots have been fired.
After the incident, Russia’s defence ministry summoned Britain’s military attache, Interfax reported.
The Royal Navy mentioned earlier in June that the HMS Defender had “peeled away” from its strike group conducting NATO operations in the Mediterranean to carry out “her own set of missions” in the Black Sea.
Incidents involving aircraft or ships are not uncommon at Russia’s borders, particularly through heightened tensions with the West, but seldom outcome in open fire.
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