Femi Ashekun/
Russia said its forces fired warning shots at a British destroyer off the coast of Crimea today, according to a report in Financial Times.
The Russian defence ministry said the British warship, HMS Defender, made a 3km incursion into Black Sea waters that Russia claims near the peninsula, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has however denied that any shots were fired directly at the vessel.
UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace, said HMS Defender carried out a “routine transit” from Odessa towards Georgia across the Black Sea this morning.
“As is normal for this route, (the destroyer) entered an internationally recognised traffic separation corridor. She exited that corridor safely at 0945 BST. As is routine, Russian vessels shadowed her passage and she was made aware of training exercises in her wider vicinity,” Wallace said.
The Russian defence ministry said that, after HMS Defender did not respond to a threat from Russian forces to open fire, a coastguard ship fired warning shots at it.
Minutes later, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet scrambled a Su-24M attack aircraft that dropped four high-explosive fragmentation bombs in the ship’s path before it exited the waters, according to the ministry.
The disputed claims come at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the Nato alliance. Most countries do not recognise Russia’s control of Crimea and the surrounding waters.
Nato countries have sent several warships on visits to the area in recent years in shows of support to Ukraine, prompting criticism from Moscow.
In 2018, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels attempting to pass the peninsula to Kyiv-controlled territory via the Kerch Strait.
HMS Defender, which forms part of the UK’s carrier strike group deployment, is in the Black Sea this week as part of an exercise to enforce Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The head of the Royal Navy met Ukraine’s deputy minister of defence on board the destroyer in Odessa yesterday to sign an agreement about Britain helping to boost Ukraine’s naval capabilities.
The co-operation will include training of Ukrainian navy personnel, creation of new naval bases, and the purchase of two Sandown class minehunters.
Ukrainian special forces were performing joint exercises practising “the unexpected seizure of enemy ships” on the Defender with their US and UK counterparts, Kyiv’s defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted in response to Moscow’s claims that “Russia’s aggressive and provocative actions in the Black and Azov seas, its occupation & militarisation of Crimea pose a lasting threat to Ukraine and allies”.
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