The nationality of the offending warships will not be taken into account
Moscow. July 14. INTERFAX-Russia will not allow provocations off the coast of Crimea, like the one committed by the British destroyer Defender, a tough reaction will follow, said Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Mikhail Popov.
"Such actions by Russia will continue to be suppressed by the harshest methods, regardless of the nationality of the violator. We invite our opponents to think hard about whether it is worth organizing such provocations, taking into account the capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces," he said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
He called the incident with the British destroyer Defender on June 23 in the Black Sea a "planned provocation".
"The British sailors deliberately went to provocation and aggravation, violating the maritime borders of Russia. The position of the Russian Federation on this incident is unambiguous - this is a pre-planned provocation that was legitimately stopped, " Popov said.
"The reaction of high-ranking British officials to this event is puzzling. Thus, according to the statements of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Minister Dominic Raab, Britain will continue to seek the so-called "freedom of navigation" in the way they did it. This implies that such provocative actions of British ships are not excluded in the future, " the Deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council said.
