MOSCOW, June 24-RIA Novosti. The world has witnessed the biggest escalation in relations between Russia and the UK since the Skripal case. So The Spectator columnist Tim Ogden commented on the recent incident with the British ship Defender.
London is probably trying to define its role on the world stage, especially after leaving the European Union, but Moscow is equally ready to demonstrate its readiness to defend itself, Ogden believes.
"Naturally, the government will want to avoid a serious escalation of the conflict with Russia, because the idea of guaranteed mutual destruction in 2021 is as terrifyingly real as during the Cold War," the author of the article added.
A possible clash — and even casualties — will not automatically lead to the outbreak of war. At the same time, it will prove that the second Cold War has already begun, he concluded.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the British Navy destroyer Defender crossed the border and entered three kilometers into internal waters near Cape Fiolent (Crimea). After the Russian border patrol ship opened a warning fire, and the Su-24M aircraft made a "warning bombing" on the course of the destroyer, it left the country. The British Ministry of Defense said that the ship was making a peaceful passage through the territorial waters of Ukraine, there were no warning shots.
