Russia will be ready to fire to hit to protect its borders, a senior diplomat warned Thursday in the wake of a Black Sea incident in which a British destroyer sailed near Crimea in an area that Russia claims as its territorial waters.
Russia said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender Wednesday to drive it away from the area near Sevastopol, but Britain denied that account and insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon.
The incident marked the first time since the Cold War that Moscow acknowledged using live ammunition to deter a NATO warship, underlining the rising threat of military collisions amid Russia-West tensions.
In this handout photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Captain John Foreman, who is currently serving as the UK Defense Attaché in the British Embassy, attends a meeting in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. The Defense Ministry said it also called in the U.K. military attache in Moscow to protest the destroyer’s “dangerous move” and urged British authorities to investigate the crew’s actions. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday that “the inviolability of the Russian borders is an absolute imperative,” adding that it will be protected “by all means, diplomatic, political and military if needed.”
Asked what Russia would do to prevent such intrusions in the future, Ryabkov told reporters it would stand ready to fire on target if warnings don't work.
“We may appeal to reason and demand to respect international law,” Ryabkov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies. “If it doesn’t help, we may drop bombs and not just in the path but right on target if colleagues don’t get it otherwise.”
In this photo taken from a video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Captain John Foreman, who is currently serving as the UK Defense Attaché in the British Embassy, right, attends a meeting in the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. The Defense Ministry said it called in the U.K. military attache in Moscow to protest the destroyer’s “dangerous move” and urged British authorities to investigate the crew’s actions. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said a patrol ship fired warning shots after the HMS Defender had ignored a notice against intrusion and sailed 3 kilometers (1.6 nautical miles) into Russia’s territorial waters near Sevastopol, the main Russian naval base in Crimea. It said a Russian Su-24 bomber also dropped four bombs ahead of the vessel to persuade the Defender to change course. Minutes later, the Defender left Russian waters, the ministry said.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense denied the Defender had been fired on or was in Russian waters, but said it had been in Ukrainian waters.
“No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender,” it said in a statement. “The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law.”
FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2015 file photo, a Russian Su-24 takes off on a combat mission at Hemeimeem airbase in Syria. The Russian military says its warship has fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs to force a British destroyer from Russia's waters near Crimea in the Black Sea. The incident on Wednesday June 23, 2021, marks the first time since the Cold War era when Moscow used live ammunition to deter a NATO warship, reflecting soaring Russia-West tensions. (AP PhotoVladimir Isachenkov, File)
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, a move not recognized by most countries, gaining access to its long Black Sea coast. Russia has chafed at NATO warships visiting near Crimea as destabilizing. In April, it declared a broader area off Crimea closed to foreign naval ships.
“It’s incorrect to say either that it was fired on or this ship was in Russian waters,” Max Blain, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, said Wednesday. "HMS Defender was taking the most direct and internationally recognized route between Ukraine and Georgia.”
He emphasized that Britain, and much of the international community, does not recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.