Russia news: Moscow says British warship in ‘clear violation’ and calls it HMS Provocateur
MoD denies shots fired and bombs dropped in path of HMS Defender
A reporter on board the HMS Defender has claimed the crew of the Royal Navy destroyer was on “high alert” and gunfire was heard after Russia claimed its forces fired warning shots at the warship after it entered the country’s territorial waters in the Black Sea.
The Russian Defence Ministry said shots were fired and bombs dropped in the path of the vessel in waters off Crimea, but the Ministry of Defence has denied the claims.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the MoD said: "No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender. The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law.
"We believe the Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity.
“No shots were directed at HMS Defender and we do not recognise the claim that bombs were dropped in her path.”
The Russian Embassy in London branded the warship “HMS Provocateur” in a post on Twitter, writing: “HMS Defender turns HMS Provocateur and violates Russian border. Not exactly a ‘routine’ transit, is it?”
HMS Defender accused of turning ‘HMS Provocateur’ by Russian Embassy
In a response on Twitter to the Ministry of Defence, the Russian Embassy in London said: “HMS Defender turns HMS Provocateur and violates Russian border.
“Not exactly a ‘routine’ transit, is it?”
British warships should be ‘livestreamed in real time’, Liberal Democrats suggest
The Liberal Democrats’ defence spokesperson has suggested British warships should be “livestreamed” in real time to keep them safe.
Responding to defence secretary Ben Wallace’s statement, Jamie Stone MP said: “The report by a BBC correspondent that HMS Defender was ‘harassed’ paints a very concerning picture. The secretary of state must set out exactly what took place.
“Her Majesty’s government must ensure that a continuous global positioning livestream can publicly validate the true position of all our warships, at all times, in real time.
“This will help keep our warships safe and clearly identify acts of aggression based on false claims of ships’ positions at any time.”
Opinion: Russia is telling the same old story when it comes to the incident in the Black Sea
Russia’s claims that it sent Defender packing with warning shots and bombing runs aren’t a huge surprise - and neither is the aftermath, according to Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House.
Read his piece for Indy Voices in full below:
Opinion: Russia is telling the same old story over the Black Sea incident
Russia says British warship in ‘clear violation of agreements’ and calls it HMS Provocateur
Russia has claimed a Royal Navy warship was in “clear violation” of a 1986 agreement by straying into territorial waters as it branded the vessel “HMS Provocateur”.
Follow our breaking news story for more details:
Russia says British warship in ‘clear violation of agreements’ and calls it HMS Provocateur
‘If you don’t change course, I’ll fire!’
Russian jets and warships were involved in a dramatic confrontation with a Royal Navy destroyer off the coast of Crimea with the British warship being told it would be fired upon unless it changed course.
The skirmish off Cape Fiolent came amid growing tensions in the region. Russia, which was said to be shadowing HMS Defender with more than 20 aircraft and two coastguard ships, claimed the Royal Navy vessel violated territorial waters near the disputed peninsula and opened warning fire.
Our Moscow correspondent Oliver Carroll has the latest on this story:
‘If you don’t change course, I’ll fire!’: British destroyer in Crimea confrontation with Russian warships
Smoke and mirrors over Russia’s skirmish with a UK warship near Crimea
Here is our defence editor Kim Sengupta’s analysis of today’s events:
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