By Alex Glenn • Published: 23 Jun 2021 • 15:12
UK Denies Russia Fired Warning Shots Near British Warship
Breaking News: UK Denies Russia Fired Warning Shots Near British Warship.
Britain has denied reports that Russia fired warning shots near a British warship in the Black Sea.
According to the Moscow defence ministry the HMS Defender entered Russian territorial waters and a ship then fired warning shots before bombs were dropped in the destroyer’s path from a jet.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) state that no warning shots had been fired and that the ship had been in Ukrainian waters, as reported the BBC.
According to British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, HMS Defender had been in an internationally recognised traffic corridor while carrying out a “routine transit”. Wallace said: “As is routine, Russian vessels shadowed her passage and she was made aware of training exercises in her wider vicinity.”
It is believed that Russians in the Black Sea were carrying out a gunnery exercise and had given a pre-emptive warning of their activities.
Wallace added that: “No shots were directed at HMS Defender and we do not recognise the claim that bombs were dropped in her path.”
Russian news agencies reported that the defence ministry claimed that the incident occurred near Cape Fiolent in the south of Crimea. They allege that HMS Defender changed course too.
Lisa Nandy MP, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, said: ‘The Foreign Secretary must urgently come to the House to confirm the validity of these deeply concerning reports and outline what steps the UK is taking to ensure the safety of British forces in the Black Sea.’
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Originally from the UK, Alex is based in Almeria and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.
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