Image source,Reuters
Earlier this month, the “Defender” was located in Istanbul.
On June 23, local time, more than 20 Russian aircraft and two Coast Guard ships followed the British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender (HMS Defender) sailing near Crimea.
The Defense Minister of Moscow stated that when the “Defender” sailed about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the Crimean coastline, a Russian patrol ship opened fire and a military plane was still on the “Defender” route. Several bombs were dropped.
The British government denied Russia’s statement about the incident and denied any firing occurred.
A BBC reporter who was on a British warship said that the “Defender” was harassed by Russian troops.
In a report by Jonathan Beale, a BBC defense reporter (Jonathan Beale), it can be heard that a plane is hovering over him. The Defender, which was on the Black Sea at the time, was sailing towards Georgia (Georgia), and Bill was on the deck of the warship. He described that the other party issued a hostile warning via radio, and the crew of the “Guardian” also prepared for a possible conflict.
Bill was previously invited to board the ship. When this incident occurred, he witnessed more than 20 aircraft flying over the warship, and two other Russian Coast Guard ships, which were only 100 meters away from the warship at one time.
This statement is inconsistent with the statement of the British Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Defense. The latter two deny that there has been any conflict between the two parties.
Image source,Reuters
The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video, calling the warship “The Defender” in the picture.
At the time of the incident, the British Royal Navy destroyer “The Defender” was heading to Georgia from Odessa in southern Ukraine. In order to reach its destination, the “Guardian” passed through the southern part of the Krenia Peninsula. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, a move that was not recognized by the international community.
Moscow claimed that the Crimean Peninsula and its waters were Russian territory, while the British claimed that the “Defender” was passing through Ukrainian waters at the time, passing an internationally recognized and commonly used transit route.
A source told BBC foreign affairs correspondent James Landale that the “Defender” was not there to provoke conflict, but to show its right to free navigation in international waters. .
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the “dangerous behavior” of British naval vessels entering its waters “seriously violated” the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and called for an investigation of the British crew.
The Russian Embassy in the United Kingdom issued a tweet afterwards: “The Royal Navy ship Defender became the Royal Navy ship Provocateur and violated the Russian border. This is not exactly a’routine’ transit, right? “
But a British government spokesperson played down any hostilities. The spokesperson insisted that Russia was conducting an “artillery drill” in the Black Sea.
The British Secretary of Defense, Ben Wallace, added: “According to the usual practice, the Russian ships followed (the British warship’s) voyage, making the British warship aware that there are exercises going on in a wider area around it.”
On the afternoon of June 23, the British ambassador to Russia was summoned by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with many officials.
On the “Defender”
Jonathan Beal is a defense reporter for the BBC
I am on this warship, sailing on the Black Sea.
When the warship approached the southern end of Russia-occupied Crimea, the crew was ready and the ship’s weapon system was loaded.
This deliberate move will make it clear to Russia. The Royal Navy destroyer “The Defender” would have sailed within 12 miles (19 kilometers) of Crimean waters. The captain insisted that he was only looking for a safe route on an internationally recognized waterway.
Two Russian Coast Guard ships followed the Royal Navy warships in an attempt to force them to change course. A Russian ship in the middle was only 100 meters away.
The warnings received on the radio continued to increase hostility, and one of them said, “If you don’t change course, I will fire.” “We did hear several fires at a distance, but thought we were far out of its range.”
As the Royal Navy destroyer “Defender” crossed the channel, Russian military aircraft flew over it. Captain Vincent Owen said that they detected more than 20 military aircraft nearby. Irving stated that his task is to show confidence, not confrontation.
Russia said the incident occurred at noon local time on the same day, near Cape Fiolent in the southern Crimea on the Black Sea.
The Russian military stated that the Royal Navy destroyer “The Defender” was told to change its course. After it failed to do so, a Russian border patrol vessel fired several warnings. About ten minutes later, a Russian military plane dropped a warning bomb on the route of the warship.
Some people associate this incident with a similar incident in November 2020. At that time, Russia accused an American warship of entering Russian waters two kilometers in the Japanese Sea.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said at the time that they had issued a warning to the USS John S McCain (USS John S McCain) that if it continued to sail in its territorial waters, it would be hit. The Russian side claimed that the US warship was eventually driven away by the Russian side.
However, the U.S. Navy stated that Russia’s statement was untrue and that the U.S. warship was not “dispelled” from the area.
The British Royal Navy destroyer “The Defender” is a Type 45 destroyer that is part of the British aircraft carrier strike group. The Royal Navy website stated that the warship was performing missions in the Black Sea.
The British Embassy in Ukraine stated that the warship was located in the southern Ukrainian port of Odessa earlier this week. Britain and Ukraine have signed an agreement to jointly build warships and two naval bases.