Black Sea, Russian strikes towards ship GB. London: “That’s not true”

A Russian military ship fired “warning” shots at the British destroyer “Hms Defender” sailing off the Crimea, in the Black Sea, in violation, according to Moscow, of Russian territorial waters, the Tass agency said. A Russian navy fighter plane then dropped four fragmentation bombs in front of the British ship to persuade it to change course, the defense ministry added. The British unit, which had detached from a naval group in the Mediterranean “for a mission in the Black Sea” earlier this month, did not respond to the warning. It had advanced two miles into Russian territorial waters in the northwestern Black Sea. The British military ship had arrived in the Black Sea to take part in joint drills organized by Ukraine and the United States, ‘Sea Breeze 2021’ which will take the away next week, with the participation of 5 thousand soldiers, 32 naval units and 40 aircraft. The duration of the exercises, an annual appointment since 1997, is 12 days. A record number of 32 countries participate in the maneuvers this year, not just NATO. LONDON – The British Ministry of Defense denies Moscow: “No warning shots were fired at Hms Defender”. “The Royal Navy ship is making a harmless passage through Ukrainian territorial waters, respecting international law,” reads a tweet from the ministry’s press office account. “The Russians were engaged in an artillery drill in the Black Sea and had given the maritime community an early warning of their activity. No shots were fired in the direction of Hms Defender and we do not recognize the statement that bombs were dropped in its trajectory. “, it is specified.