Black Sea, Russia allegedly fired warning shots at a British ship because it was in territorial waters.
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Russia allegedly fired warning shots into the path of a British warship in the Black Sea because, according to the Ministry of Defence, it was in territorial waters. The affair is still quite confusing and full of shadows and needs specific clarification.
What seems to be certain is that there were moments of tension in the water. According to Moscow, first a border guard boat and then a jet were sent to fire shots at a British vessel, a Defender destroyer to be precise, in the area of Cape Fiolent.
Black Sea, Russia shoots at British warship: London’s version
London, however, has a different version of what happened, as no shots were fired at the British ship.
The shots were fired during Russian exercises, of which NATO would have been aware. According to the Kremlin, at 12:06 p.m. on 23 June, the Defender entered territorial waters and breached the two-mile limit.
At 12:08 p.m., the first warning “attack” by the Coast Guard was launched. Then, at 12:19pm, the Su-24M jet dropped four bombs in the Defender’s path.
The UK ship consequently left the waters in which it was sailing at 12:23pm. After the incident, the Russian Ministry of Defence reportedly summoned the representative of the armed forces to the British Embassy in Moscow. The episode was reported by the Russian news agency Tass.
Black Sea, Russia shoots Defender: statements by Dmytro Kuleba
Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, has pointed out that the Russian attack on the Defender destroyer is an example of Moscow’s aggressive policy and a danger for Ukraine itself. These are Kuleba’s statements reported by Fatto Quotidiano: “A clear proof in support of Ukraine’s position: Russia’s aggressive and provocative actions in the Black and Azov seas, its occupation and militarisation of Crime, represent a constant threat to Ukraine and its allies”.
Black Sea, Russia shoots Defender: Serghei Shoigu’s statements
During a conference in Moscow on international security, Defence Minister Serghei Shoigu said, referring to Russia’s borders with European NATO states: “Overall, the situation in Europe is explosive and requires specific measures for de-escalation. The Russian side has proposed a number of measures. For example, it has submitted a proposal to move the exercise areas away from the line of contact.”
Regarding the Russian proposal on a moratorium on the deployment of medium- and short-range missiles in Europe, Serghei Shoigu added:
“These missiles pose a special danger to the population of European countries, as they can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads. Their deployment in Europe will return to the time when Europeans were hostages to the confrontation between the USSR and the US.”
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