Russia has sworn to ensure they sink British warships the next time they sail too close to Crimea firing a potentially strong warning that could escalate tensions.
It comes as tensions rise following yesterday’s face off in the Black Sea where HMS Defender was accused of making a ‘deliberate provocation’ by the Kremlin as it entered waters deemed to be Russian territory.
It comes as tensions rise following yesterday’s face off in the Black Sea where HMS Defender was accused of making a “deliberate provocation” by the Kremlin as it entered waters deemed to be Russian territory.
The Navy remained undeterred despite being buzzed by 20 Russian jets and chased by two armed coastguard vessels where crews opened fire – dropping four bombs from aircraft above.
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Today a fresh warning arrived from the deputy foreign Sergey Ryabkov who warned that Moscow would not tolerate another alleged breach of their waters.
He said: ‘We can appeal to common sense, demand respect for international law.
‘If this does not help, we can bomb not only in the direction but also on target, if our colleagues do not understand.
‘I warn everyone violating the state borders of the Russian Federation under the slogan of free navigation, from such provocative steps, because the security of our country comes first.’
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson denied that the bombs were dropped in the path of the British warship and that the shots were directed at it.
The confusion around the incident prompted accusations from former Chief of Defence Intelligence Lord West that Vladimir Putin was ‘playing to the home audience,’ adding this behaviour was ‘apalling.’
Meanwhile, British media painted some entirely different yesterday, reporting that when the warship approached the waters, the crew was confronted by a tiny Russian boat.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK