The Russian military called the violation of the border of the Russian Federation by a British destroyer a provocation
On June 23, a Russian Su-24M bomber carried out a warning bombing along the course of the British destroyer Defender, which violated the state border of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea. After that, the British turned around. How the military and experts assess the actions of the Russian military, - in the material of "Gazeta.Ru».
On June 23, the Black Sea Fleet, together with the Border Service of the FSB of Russia, stopped the violation of the Russian state border by the destroyer Defender of the British Navy. The border patrol ship fired warning shots, and the Su-24M bomber launched a warning bombing, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The incident occurred in the area of Cape Fiolent (Crimea).
The patrol ship fired warning shots at 12.06 and 12.08 (Moscow time), and the Su-24M dropped four OFAB-250 bombs (high-explosive fragmentation bombs) on the course of the destroyer-at 12.19.
At 12.23, Defender left the borders of the territorial sea of Russia.
"The dangerous actions of the British Navy destroyer are regarded by the Russian Defense Ministry as a gross violation of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," RIA Novosti quotes a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Ex-Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Vladimir Masorin in a conversation with " Gazeta.Ru "called the actions of the British ship a "test of the strength" of the Russian borders, and also compared the behavior of the destroyer with the provocation of Ukrainian boats in November 2018.
"They believe that this is the Ukrainian water area, Ukrainian territorial waters, that Crimea is Ukrainian (Crimea has been a territorial part of the Russian Federation since 2014, according to the results of the referendum. - "Newspaper.Ru»). That's why they went there.
After the incident in the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry summoned the defense attache at the British Embassy in Moscow.
At the same time, the British Ministry of Defense said that the Defender makes a "peaceful passage through the territorial waters of Ukraine" and denied Russia's statements about the warning shot.
"We believe that the Russians conducted training exercises in the Black Sea and warned the maritime community about their activities in advance. None of the shots were aimed at HMS Defender, and we do not recognize the claim that bombs were dropped on its route," the press service of the British military department said.
Former Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Yuri Baluyevsky, commenting on these statements, advised London to " live in the real world."
"If the British ship considered this water area to be Ukrainian, then it is necessary to live in the real world. Ukraine has lost Crimea, and this must be taken into account, " he told the Newspaper.Ru", stressing that the actions of border guards, representatives of the Armed Forces in the current situation are fully justified and comply not only with domestic Russian legislation, but also with international standards.
However, Rear Admiral Vladimir Zakharov did not rule out that the UK after this incident may accuse Russia of aggression. However, he argues, the actions of the Russian military did not go beyond the framework of international agreements.
However, the president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, the former head of the main Department of International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of Defense Leonid Ivashov urged not to dramatize the situation.
"Our people acted very wisely, not squeezing out the ship in bulk and not firing at it, but dropping bombs on the course of movement. They paid attention and showed their determination to use weapons, " Ivashov said, stressing that since there are no casualties on the British side, now London is likely to issue a warning to the sailors to be more careful and clarify the boundaries of Russia's territorial waters.
At the same time, the interlocutor of the " Newspaper.Ru " said that the fact that the destroyer changed course indicates that the UK recognized the waters of the Crimea as Russian.
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Vladimir Masorin called the actions of the Russian military the norm. He noted that after warning shots in military practice, the combat use of weapons usually follows. "You'd have to be fools not to obey. I don't think they are so "brave", - he said.
The British destroyer crossed the Russian border with working combat systems, he told the newspaper.En "editor-in-chief of the magazine" Arsenal of the Fatherland " Viktor Murakhovsky.
"All the combat systems of this destroyer worked, including radars, missile defense weapons guidance systems, and so on. That is, he went to this provocation in a combat-ready state. Therefore, the path of demonstrative use of weapons was chosen. Either that, or ram it, " Murakhovsky explained "Газете.Ru".
Denis Telmanov
