Russia says it fired warning shots, bombs to chase U.K. ship out of its waters in Black Sea
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
LONDON — A military ship and fighter jet fired warning shots at a British Royal Navy destroyer after it entered Russian waters in the Black Sea, Russia's defense ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The HMS Defender was "warned in advance that weapons would be used" if it crossed Russia's border, the statement said. "It disregarded the warning," it added.
A border patrol ship "fired warning shots," shortly after midday local time (7 a.m. ET), the statement said, adding that an Su-24M fighter jet "performed a warning bombing," on the British ship's course, dropping four high explosive fragmentation bombs.
The incident took place in the northwestern Black Sea.
Russian forces fired warning shots at the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender after it entered the country's territorial waters in the Black Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry has said.Ben Mitchell / Zuma Press file
Calling the incident "a gross provocation," Russia's foreign ministry said in a separate statement that it would summon Deborah Bronnert, Britain's ambassador to Russia, for a meeting.
However, Ben Wallace, Britain's defense minister, said in a statement that the HMS Defender was carrying out a "routine transit" from the Ukrainian city of Odessa toward Georgia through an "internationally recognized traffic separation corridor."
Making no mention of warning shots, he said that the ship had "exited that corridor safely."
"As is routine, Russian vessels shadowed her passage and she was made aware of training exercises in her wider vicinity," he said.
In a separate statement, Britain's defense ministry said it believed the "Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity."
It added: "No shots were directed at HMS Defender and we do not recognise the claim that bombs were dropped in her path."
Henry Austin
Tatyana Chistikova and Reuters contributed.
Tags
Who is online
419 visitors
Deliberate provocation? - just trying to see how far they can push?
'Deliberate provocation? - just trying to see how far they can push?'
This incident arises from the imperial ambitions of Britain and its NATO allies which now target Moscow and Beijing. The Ministry of Defense said that the operations which Carrier Strike Group 21 operation had just undertaken were in support of Operation Shader and US Operation Inherent Resolve. Operation Shader and US Operation Inherent Resolve were set up in 2014, supposedly in opposition to Islamic State. This included routine air strikes and hostile surveillance in Iraq, Syria, Libya [the usual suspects] and other countries.
The US role was integral to the preceding operations, and the incursion into Russian claimed territory would not have happened without US knowledge and permission.
As Beale's report states, 'the crew were already at action stations as they approached the southern tip of Russian occupied Crimea. Weapons systems on board the Royal Navy destroyer had already been loaded.' This was no accident. So it was a provocation.
And that said, somebody must have been taken back by Russia’s response. It was swift and robust.
But didn't you aleady know that EVERY GOVERNMENT (America included) ALWAYS tells the absolute truth?
I would tend to believe the UK statements in the matter...
“No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender,” read a tweet from the U.K. MoD at 8:04 a.m.
“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 recognize the claim that bombs were dropped in her path.”
So the Russians are shooting their mouths off and trying to look scary. hmph!
Mostly for their own people.... Like Qanon and Trump supporters.
that got a giggle out of me
Happy Friday Trout. Glad to be of service!
Is today Friday?
It's Friday??? I didn't get that memo
thirsty thursday here.
i simply remember that after tuesday , even the calender says W T F....,., and that usually sums it up right.
First we have to get thru Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and then....CATURDAY!
the week ends are time for silly shit .. S S
I'm a person ahead of his time...... (best I can do.)
With the way my week has gone it could have been Friday & I probably wouldn't know it until my alarm didn't go off on Saturday. I was just caught off guard because I do certain things on Friday at work that I haven't done because... Thursday, you had me scared.
Spot on shipmate! I also will take the UK's word on this.
FLY pulled too many G's and it tends to lead to confusion at times. Just be patient he'll get back to Thursday soon.
snicker
But HEY! It's Friday now!
Happy Friday, Fly, Kavika, Ed, Veronica and all the other Rompers I see in my mirror!
Thursday is the new Friday..... I started working on my liver early.
Happy Friday all!
but Trump said he believed Putin...yet again!
Putin has no more use for him, so he may as well stop sucking up to him.
Putin, like the majority of Americans, knows that Trump is now a has been, and even his own Daughter and SIL have moved on from their time in the WH. Funny how you never hear of or see Melania now. Looks like she, too, is ready to move on.
If Melania has any sense at all she is already talking to divorce attorneys to see how much she can get in a divorce settlement!
Totally agree. Maybe that is why Trump was seen leaving his Trump Tower alone with a good bit of his very expensive luggage. And Melania has not been seen that much, if at all, since they moved back to NY. If she is smart she will take her pre-nup and child support and leave while the gettin' is good, before he winds up in jail, and she may get left out in the cold.
I suppose sailiing American warships through the Twiwan Straights isn't a provocation either, eh?
Not as long as the Taiwan Straits are considered international waters, in spite of China's claims otherwise. It's still called freedom of navigation.
And if Taiwan were not such a hot issue these days, it would be a frosty day in hell if American warships would bother sailing through the Straits - it's outright provocation. I suppose there would be no reaction from the USA if China were to park an aircraft carrier just on the "international navigation" line outside Los Angeles.
As long as said Chinese carrier was in fact in international waters legally then nothing could be done about it as they would be within their rights. Sure, the US might bitch about it but nothing would be done.
Oh come on Ed. America would shadow it with ships and buzz it with planes. Whenever Russian warplanes came close to Alaska the U.S.Air force didn't just keep their interceptors on the ground.
Did I say they would not? Of course they would as that is how the game is played, but there are rules to the game and sometimes opposing sides still go too far just to see how far they can get. and when I said nothing would be done, I meant nothing extreme. My apologies as I should have clarified that.
If the Brits aren't careful the next time the Russians will send their newest advanced aircraft carrier after them.