MOSCOW, June 25-RIA Novosti. The purpose of the British destroyer Defender was to demonstrate a hostile attitude and provoke Russia, writes former diplomat and analyst Craig Murray.
First of all, the expert believes that the British ship did not feel the need to pass at a distance of twelve miles from the Crimean cape Fiolent, since the sea route does not pass there.
According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, territorial waters are an integral part of a country. For example, if a murder occurs on a ship located within twelve miles of the coast, then it is considered within the jurisdiction of the coastal state. In the case when the vessel is located at a distance of more than twelve miles, the legislation of the country under whose flag it sails applies, the author of the article indicates.
Craig also recalled that according to the provisions of the convention, the passage of a foreign vessel is regarded as a violation if its actions are aimed at collecting information to weaken the security of the coastal State (paragraph 2.c) and spreading propaganda against it (paragraph 2.d). The last point, in his opinion, is confirmed by the presence of a BBC journalist on board a British destroyer.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Defense announced that the British destroyer Defender crossed the Russian border near Cape Fiolent (Crimea). The Russian border ship was forced to fire several warning shots, and the Su-24M aircraft made a "warning bombing". The British Ministry of Defense and the government office claim that the destroyer was not fired at and was not in Russian territorial waters. The British Defense Ministry insists that the ship made a peaceful passage through the territorial waters of Ukraine in accordance with international law. The British Ministry of Defense also stated that Russia conducted training exercises in the Black Sea and warned the "maritime community" about its actions in advance.
However, a BBC journalist who was on board the British ship confirmed that the ship deliberately entered Russian territorial waters. Later, the Telegraph newspaper, citing sources in the Ministry of Defense, reported that the final decision on the passage of the British destroyer Defender in the Black Sea was left to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. Johnson himself called the passage of the ship in these waters "quite appropriate", recalling that the UK does not recognize the transition of the Crimea to Russia.