UK warship confronted by Russian military off Crimean coast

An incident between the Royal Navy and Russian
military occurred off the coast of Crimea around noon Kyiv time on June 23. The
UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) claims that the HMS Defender, a destroyer, was
sailing in international waters off the coast of Cape Fiolent, when two Russian
coast guard ships and up to 20 military aircraft engaged it. The ships came as
close as 100 meters of HMS Defender, and demanded that it change heading away
from what they called Russian territorial waters. HMS Defender maintained its
course for Tbilisi.

The Russian defense ministry claims that it fired
warning shots and dropped bombs in the bath of the destroyer. MoD claims that a
previously-announced gunnery exercise on the part of the Russians could be
heard, but no shots were fired in the ship’s direction. It also denied the
claim of bombs being dropped.

A BBC correspondent on the HMS Defender reported after
landing at Tbilisi that the ship had been harrassed by sea and air, but that
gunfire had been heard in the distance.

James Hydzik: Such
confrontations are a regular occurrence, as both the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy
have been harassed in what the UN recognizes as international waters in the
past year. However, familiarity should not breed contempt. Ukrainian
commentators are pointing to the danger of the type of display that the Russian
military claims it made, in that a misstep could lead to war. They’re correct,
to a point, but cooler heads prevailing in response to a misstep would also be
seen as a sign of weakness. A range of non-military responses that are
appropriate and clear need to be at hand. That would only encourage further
recklessness.

The Sea Breeze 2021 naval exercises starting in the
Odesa area next week, and further harassment while participants’ ships are
arriving or departing should not be a surprise.