Russian Defense Ministry Summons British Military Attache

The Russian Defense Ministry summoned Britain’s military attache following the incident of a British destroyer violating Russia's maritime borders.

In a press statement, the British Defense Ministry denied that any warning shots had been fired at the HMS Defender. It added that “The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law.”

The statement said: “We believe the Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity."

A Russian fighter jet and border guard ship have fired “warning” shots at a British warship that the military said violated Russia’s borders in the Black Sea near annexed Crimea, the Defense Ministry told state media Wednesday in a claim Britain later denied.

The Russian Navy’s Su-24 attack aircraft dropped four bombs along the path of the British Royal Navy’s HMS Defender destroyer to “stop” it from further maneuvers after a border patrol ship fired warning shots, the state-run TASS news agency cited the Ministry as saying.

The HMS Defender “did not respond to a warning” about the use of weapons in response to its movements, the Ministry was quoted as saying. The British destroyer left the waters off the coast of Cape Fiolent minutes after the shots were fired, it said.