SIMFEROPOL, Nov 7 - RIA Novosti. Mikhail Sheremet, a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation from the Crimean region, said that the United States should not "mess around" and test Russia's strength by passing its ships through territorial waters off the coast of Crimea.
The USS Porter, armed with cruise missiles, and the US Navy staff ship Mount Whitney are located in the Black Sea. The forces and means of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have begun to monitor its actions.
According to him, any attempts at provocations "will be nipped in the bud."
"Russia is not interested in conflicts. We are always in favor of dialogue. No problems and issues can be solved by military means. It is better to express all your claims at the negotiating table, and not by armed means. We use our weapons exclusively for protection and defense," the deputy stressed.
The British destroyer Defender crossed the Russian border near Cape Fiolent (Crimea) at the end of June. After repeated warnings, the Russian border ship fired a warning shot, and the Su-24M aircraft made a "warning bombing" along the course of the destroyer. The British Ministry of Defense and the government office claimed that the destroyer was not fired upon and was not in Russian territorial waters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the provocation involving Defender immediately after the Russia–US summit was undertaken to show the West's disrespect for the choice of Crimeans. He noted that not only the British, but also the Americans participated in this provocation in the Black Sea – their reconnaissance aircraft tried to record the retaliatory actions of the Russian military. The President noted that the military development of the territory of neighboring Ukraine causes deep concern to Russia - it concerns the real vital interests of the country and the people.
