Confusion over warning shots and bombs in the Black Sea

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, on 23 June the British destroyer HMS Defender three kilometres into the country's territorial waters. A border guard ship then fired warning shots and a Su-24M fighter plane dropped bombs in front of the British warship. It then turned away and left Russian waters. The incident occurred shortly after 12:00 south of Sevastopol in the Black Sea.
The British Ministry of Defence, on the other hand, reported that no warning shots were fired at the Defender had been delivered. Defence Minister Ben Wallace explained that the destroyer had carried out a routine transit from Odessa to Georgia. "As is normal on this route, she entered an internationally recognised traffic separation scheme. She safely left this area at 09:45 UK time. As is normal, Russian vessels shadowed her during the passage and she was informed of exercises in the wider area."
The British defence attaché was summoned in the afternoon. In a conversation, Russia classified the incident as a serious violation of UN maritime law and called on the United Kingdom to investigate the behaviour of the British crew in order to avoid further incidents of this kind in the future.

Unusually, the Russian Ministry of Defence published a remarkable, almost two-minute video of the meeting on the internet without an audio track. It shows the attaché in the rank of captain arriving at the ministry without a jacket and then being led into a room where he is greeted by a Russian officer. The camera also remains switched on during the subsequent meeting. Apparently a document is read to the British man and then handed over. After a subsequent conversation, the captain leaves the office and ministry again. In the course of the video, the camera zooms in on the British diplomat's hands several times, conveying his unease and uncertainty. Apparently, several cameramen were on hand for the "presentation" of the attaché, recording his every move. It could not be verified whether the video was from today's meeting.

British attaché in the Russian Ministry of Defence

The Defender is part of the UK Carrier Strike Group around the Queen Elizabeth. The group of nine ships is currently on its way to Asia. The aircraft carrier itself has not entered the Black Sea. The Dutch frigate, which also belongs to the Carrier Strike Group Evertsen crossed on 14 June together with the Defender the Bosporus.

Text: mb; Photo: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright