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Russia said its forces fired warning shots at a British destroyer off the Crimean coast on Wednesday, but the UK has denied the allegations.
The Russian defense ministry said the HMS Ombudsman made a 3km incursion into the Black Sea waters that Russia claims are near the peninsula, which it annexed to Ukraine in 2014.
The UK Ministry of Defense denied firing directly at the ship.
Ben Wallace, the UK’s secretary of defense, said HMS Defender made a “routine transit” on Wednesday morning from Odessa to Georgia across the Black Sea.
“As is normal for this route, [the destroyer] entered an internationally recognized traffic separation corridor. He left the hallway safely at 09.45 BST. As is routine, Russian ships overshadowed their passage and became aware of training exercises in their wider area, ”Wallace said.
The Russian defense ministry said that after HMS Defender did not respond to the threat of Russian forces to open fire, a coastguard ship fired warning shots at it.
Minutes later, the Russian Black Sea Fleet revolted an Su-24M attack aircraft that dropped four high-explosive fragmentation bombs on the ship’s path before leaving the waters, according to the ministry.
The disputed claims come at a time of intense tensions between Russia and the NATO alliance. Most countries do not recognize the control of Crimea and the surrounding waters by Russia.
NATO countries have sent several warships on visits to the area in recent years to show support for Ukraine, which has sparked criticism from Moscow.
In 2018, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships attempting to cross the peninsula into Kiev-controlled territory across the Kerch Strait.
HMS Defender, part of the deployment of the UK carrier strike group, is in the Black Sea this week as part of an exercise to enforce Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The head of the Royal Navy met on Tuesday in Odessa with Ukraine’s deputy defense minister aboard the destroyer to sign a Britain-related deal that would help boost Ukraine’s naval capabilities.
Cooperation will include the training of Ukrainian naval personnel, the creation of new naval bases and the purchase of two Sandown-class mine hunters.
Ukrainian special forces were conducting joint exercises practicing “unexpected confiscation of enemy ships” on HMS Defender with its US and British counterparts, the Kyiv defense ministry said in a statement.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, wrote on Twitter in response to Moscow’s claims that “Russia’s aggressive and provocative actions in the Black and Azov Seas, its occupation and militarization of Crimea pose a lasting threat to in Ukraine and its allies “.
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