The US Department of Defense did not comment on the incident in the Black Sea with the British Navy destroyer Defender. Media requests were forwarded to the UK Ministry of Defense.
"We are sending you to the United Kingdom with questions about its military operations," TASS quotes the Pentagon's message to the agency's request. The White House National Security Council and the State Department have not yet responded to a request for this content.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that the Black Sea Fleet of the Navy, together with the border service of the FSB of Russia, stopped the violation of the state border by the destroyer URO Defender of the British Navy. The ship crossed the state border of the Russian Federation and entered the territorial sea near Cape Fiolent for 3 km.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation noted that the destroyer was warned about the use of weapons in case of violation of the state border of the country, but there was no reaction from the ship's crew. In this regard, the border patrol ship performed a warning firing, and the Russian Su-24M aircraft performed a warning bombing along the course of the British destroyer.
The ministry regarded the incident as a gross violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 and called on the British side to conduct a thorough investigation of the actions of the Defender crew.
At the same time, the British Ministry of Defense, commenting on the incident with the violation of the borders of the Russian Federation, said that the destroyer made a peaceful passage through the territorial waters of Ukraine in accordance with international law.
The press service also noted that Russia conducted "training shooting" in the Black Sea. The ministry did not agree with the statement that bombs were dropped on the path of the destroyer, and also that warning shots were fired from Russia.
After the incident, the defense attache at the British Embassy in Moscow was summoned to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, called the actions of the British Navy destroyer a rude provocation. The diplomat also said that in connection with the incident, the British Ambassador to Moscow, Deborah Bronnert, will be summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
