Russia says it fires warning photographs at British destroyer close to Crimea, UK denies it
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Russia mentioned on Tuesday it had fired warning photographs and dropped bombs within the path of a British destroyer crusing within the Black Sea off the coast of the Crimea peninsula, which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence mentioned no Russian warning photographs have been fired on the Royal Navy’s HMS Defender, which sailed into the Black Sea earlier this month, and it didn’t recognise assertions that bombs have been put in its path.
“We believe the Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity,” the defence ministry mentioned in a press release on Twitter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba mentioned the incident confirmed that Russia’s “aggressive and provocative policies” within the Black Sea and close by Azov Sea constituted a “continuous threat to Ukraine and its allies”.
In a tweet, he known as for NATO to cooperate with Ukraine within the Black Sea. Russia seized and annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and considers areas across the peninsula’s coast to be Russian waters.
Western nations contemplate the peninsula a part of Ukraine and reject Russia’s declare to the seas round it.Russia’s defence ministry, quoted by Interfax information company, mentioned the British ship had left Russian waters quickly after the incident, having ventured as a lot as 3 kilometers (2 miles) inside.
It mentioned the confrontation occurred close to Cape Fiolent, a landmark on the southern coast of Crimea close to the port of Sevastopol, headquarters of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet.
“The destroyer had been warned that weapons would be used if it trespasses the border of the Russian Federation. It did not react to the warning,” it mentioned.
A Russian bomber dropped 4 excessive explosive fragmentation bombs as a warning within the British destroyer’s path, in line with the Russian ministry.
