Russian media reports that Russian patrol ships fired warning shots and jet dropped bombs to the British warship off the coast of Crimea.
Interfax news agency cited Russia’s Ministry of Defence, which stated that HMS Defender of the British Navy travelled near (approximately 3km), the Crimean peninsula Cape Fiolent on 23 June.
Apparently, when the British HMS did not respond to a ‘verbal’ warning.
So, a Russian patrol ship decided to go the fuck off by firing a warning shot accompanied by a Su-24 bomber – dropping four highly explosive, 250kg fragmentation bombs in its path.
However, the UK denied that this even happened.
Ensue massive confusion, ensue thoughts that the UK is gaslighting Mother Russia.
This reminds me a tiny bit of July 2019, when a Russian plane flew over Dokdo, and a S. Korean fighter jet supposedly fired warning shots. Russia denied that S.K. fired the shots, just like the UK is here. Is that common – “No, they didn’t fire warning shots at us?”
— Christian Basar (@ChristianBasar) June 24, 2021
The UK’s Ministry of Defence retorted casually:
“No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender. The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law.”
Then followed with:
“We believe the Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity. No shots were directed at HMS Defender and we do not recognise the claim that bombs were dropped in her path.”
Or perhaps this is genuinely just a misunderstanding and Russia fired shots elsewhere?
In 2014 Russia annexed Crimea in the aftermath of the Ukrainian revolution.
The annexation drew international condemnation and led to Russia being expelled from what was then the G8.
UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace: “Russia didn’t bomb near or fire warning shots at our destroyer…they were holding exercises”.
I’ve never heard of any country holding unannounced “exercises” involving live shells or bombs close to an enemy warship🤔https://t.co/OTjS8usAWo— Bryan Smith #RejoinEU (@BpsmithUk) June 23, 2021
