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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 a British warship in the Black Sea? By 25 June 2021, two days after the incident involving HMS Defender, the dispute had moved from the water to diplomacy and threats.
On 23 June, 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. Moscow said the ship had entered Russian-claimed territorial waters near Crimea. The UK Ministry of Defence rejected that account. It said Russia was holding a military exercise nearby and denied that any shots or bombs had been directed at the ship.
Russia then summoned the British ambassador over the episode. On 24 June, it warned that it would bomb British vessels if the Royal Navy took any further provocative action in the Black Sea.
The UK held its position. It said the vessel was in Ukrainian waters and that it was entirely right to use the route. It added that the Royal Navy would always uphold international law and would not accept unlawful interference with innocent passage.
The two sides therefore disagreed on basic points: where the ship was, what Russia had done, and what the route's legal status allowed. As of 25 June 2021, each government had restated its case, and Moscow had added an explicit threat.
