The United Kingdom (UK) and Russia continue to spar over the confrontation of their navies in the Black Sea amid the increasingly deteriorating relations between Russia and Western countries, especially NATO allies. The incident took place on Wednesday off the coast of Cape Fiolent in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, after the British Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Defender entered three kilometres into its territorial waters on Wednesday, it fired warning shots. In addition, Russia’s SU-24 jet also dropped four bombs in the Defender’s path to deter it from proceeding further. The statement mentioned that the British vessel “was given a preliminary warning about the use of weapons if the state borders of the Russian Federation were violated.” However, “It did not react to the warning.”
In a statement published on Thursday, Russia also warned that it would respond to any such incursions in the future by bombing the British vessels. It is the first time since the Cold War that Russian authorities have acknowledged the use of live weapons against a warship of a NATO ally.
However, the UK’s Ministry of Defence rubbished the Russian side’s statement saying: “No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender. The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters as per international law.” Furthermore, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said, “As is normal for this route, HMS Defender entered an internationally recognised traffic separation corridor. She exited that corridor safely at 0945 BST (British Summer Time). The Russian vessels shadowed her passage as is routine, and she was made aware of training exercises in her wider vicinity.”
Following this back-and-forth, Russian authorities called the British Defence Attaché in Moscow to communicate their “strong protest” with the incident, which the Kremlin believed to be “provocative and dangerous.” In response, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson clarified that the vessel’s actions were “wholly appropriate.” He added, “The important point is that we don’t recognise the Russian annexation of Crimea … These are Ukrainian waters, and it was entirely right to use them to go from A to B.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba posted on social media that the incident highlighted how Russian defence policies threaten Ukraine and its Western allies. He said it also provided “a clear proof of Ukraine’s position that Russia’s aggressive and provocative actions in the Black and Azov seas, its occupation and militarisation of Crimea pose a lasting threat to Ukraine and allies.” In this regard, he urged NATO allies to support Ukraine in the Black Sea.
On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his concern about NATO’s rising military presence near Russian borders. He said the Western powers refuse “to constructively consider our proposals to de-escalate tensions and reduce the risk of unpredictable incidents.”
In May, a similar incident occurred wherein Russian security officials allegedly dispersed HMS Dragon, a British warship, near the Black Sea peninsula. Then too, the UK claimed that its vessel was merely exercising its right to “innocent passage.” Meanwhile, several Western countries, including the United States, are planning to conduct naval exercises in the Black Sea from June 28 to July 10. The Russian embassy in Washington requested the cancellation of these exercises.
UK, Russia Continue to Spar Over Warship Confrontation in the Black Sea
After Russian authorities claimed to have shot at a British warship that entered its territorial waters, Britain denied being fired upon.
June 25, 2021
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST