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What did Russia threaten after the Black Sea incident?
Summary
A look back at the exchange of warnings between Moscow and London over HMS Defender near Crimea.
What was Russia prepared to say about British warships in the Black Sea on 25 June 2021? The dispute was then in its third day, and the positions of Moscow and London had hardened.
The row began on 23 June 2021. Russia's Defence Ministry said a Russian Navy patrol ship had fired shots and a Su-24 attack aircraft had dropped bombs in the path of the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender. It said the ship had entered Russian-claimed territorial waters near Crimea. The UK Ministry of Defence rejected that account. It denied that any shots or bombs had been directed at the ship and said a Russian military exercise was under way nearby.
On 24 June, Russia went further. It warned the UK that it would bomb British vessels if the Royal Navy took any further provocative action in the Black Sea. Moscow had already summoned the British ambassador over the incident.
London's reply rested on a point of law. The UK said the vessel had been in Ukrainian waters, that it was entirely right to use the route, and that the Royal Navy would always uphold international law. It said it would not accept unlawful interference with innocent passage.
By 25 June 2021, then, the two sides disagreed about where the ship had been, what had been fired or dropped, and what would follow any repeat.
