Russia says its military forces fired warning shots and dropped bombs to deter a British Royal Navy destroyer, accusing the ship of entering its waters in the Black Sea on Wednesday. A claim denied by the United Kingdom.
A border patrol ship fired the warning shots while an SU-24 jet dropped four bombs in HMS Defender’s path, prompting the British vessel to turn around, the ministry said.
UK Ministry of Defence denied Russia’s account, saying: “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.”
The British ambassador to Russia will be summoned to the Foreign Ministry in Moscow to discuss Wednesday's incident during which a UK warship, according to Moscow, violated the Russian state border and was met with warning shots.