Russian ships and jets shadow UK ship in Black Sea

[Sheilbh]

There was just an incredible piece on the BBC News about this because a BBC reporter was on board - in the link you can hear him reporting on a call from the ship with the Russian jets in the background:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-57583363

HMS Defender: Russian jets and ships shadow British warship

More than 20 Russian aircraft and two coastguard ships have shadowed a British warship sailing near Crimea.

Moscow's defence ministry said a patrol ship fired warning shots and a jet dropped bombs in the path of HMS Defender as it sailed some 12 miles (19km) off Crimea's coast.

The UK government rejected Russia's account of the incident and denied that any warning shots had been fired.

A BBC correspondent on the warship said it was harassed by Russia's military.

Aircraft could be heard overhead as BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale filed a report from the deck of HMS Defender in the Black Sea as it sailed to Georgia. He described hostile warnings over the radio as the warship's crew prepared for a possible confrontation.

Our correspondent, who had been invited on board the ship before the incident happened, saw more than 20 aircraft overhead and two Russian coastguard boats which at times were just 100m (328ft) away.

This is at odds with statements from both the British prime minister's office and defence ministry, which denied any confrontation.

Ministry of Defence Press Office
@DefenceHQPress
Jun 23, 2021
No warning shots have been fired at HMS Defender.

The Royal Navy ship is conducting innocent passage through Ukrainian territorial waters in accordance with international law.
We believe the Russians were undertaking a gunnery exercise in the Black Sea and provided the maritime community with prior-warning of their activity.

No shots were directed at HMS Defender and we do not recognise the claim that bombs were dropped in her path.

HMS Defender was sailing from Odessa in southern Ukraine to Georgia. To get there, it passed south of the Crimea peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 in a move that has not been recognised internationally.

While Moscow claims the peninsula and its waters are Russian territory, the UK says HMS Defender was passing through Ukrainian waters in a commonly used and internationally recognised transit route.

A source told BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale that the Defender was not there to pick a fight but to make a point - to assert its right to freedom of navigation in international waters.

Russia's defence ministry said the "dangerous actions" of the navy ship entering its waters were a "gross violation" of the UN Convention's sea laws, and called for the crew to be investigated.

A later tweet from the Russian embassy in the UK said: "HMS Defender turns HMS Provocateur and violates Russian border. Not exactly a 'routine' transit, is it?"

But a UK government spokesman played down any notion of hostilities, insisting that Russia was doing "gunnery exercises" in the Black Sea.

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace added: "As is routine, Russian vessels shadowed [the ship's] passage and she was made aware of training exercises in her wider vicinity."

The British ambassador was summoned to the Russian foreign ministry in Moscow, and met officials on Wednesday afternoon.

On board HMS Defender

Jonathan Beale, Defence Correspondent

I am on board the warship in the Black Sea.

The crew were already at action stations as they approached the southern tip of Russian-occupied Crimea. Weapons systems on board the Royal Navy destroyer had already been loaded.

This would be a deliberate move to make a point to Russia. HMS Defender was going to sail within the 12 mile (19km) limit of Crimea's territorial waters. The captain insisted he was only seeking safe passage through an internationally recognised shipping lane.

Two Russian coastguard ships that were shadowing the Royal Navy warship, tried to force it to alter its course. At one stage, one of the Russian vessels closed in to about 100m.

Increasingly hostile warnings were issued over the radio - including one that said "if you don't change course I'll fire". We did hear some firing in the distance but they were believed to be well out of range.

As HMS Defender sailed through the shipping lane it was buzzed by Russian jets. The Captain, Vincent Owen, said the ship detected more than 20 military aircraft nearby. Commander Owen said his mission was confident but non-confrontational.

Map showing Crimea, Ukraine and Russia and the warship's path

Russia said the incident happened just after midday local time (09:00 GMT) in the Black Sea near Cape Fiolent in the south of Crimea.

According to the Russian military, HMS Defender was told to change course, and when it failed to do so, a Russian border patrol ship sent several warning shots. About ten minutes later, a military jet dropped warning bombs in the path of the destroyer.

This case is reminiscent of a similar incident in November 2020, when Russia accused a US warship of travelling 2km into its waters in the Sea of Japan.

Russia's defence ministry said it had warned the USS John S McCain that it would be rammed if it continued sailing in the territorial waters, before chasing off the warship. However the US Navy said those claims were false, and that its ship had not been "expelled" from the area.

HMS Defender is a Type 45 destroyer that is part of the UK's Carrier Strike Group. It is carrying out missions in the Black Sea, according to the Royal Navy's website.

The warship was in the southern Ukrainian port of Odessa earlier this week, according to the British embassy in Ukraine. It said the UK and Ukraine had signed an agreement to jointly build warships and construct two naval bases.

UK in Ukraine
@UKinUkraine
Jun 22
Farewell to HMS DEFENDER

Thank you for a fantastic time in Odesa

Fair winds and following seas.

#StrongerTogether

https://twitter.com/UKinUkraine/status/1407258547633729538

It is scary seeing the crew go to action stations but I'm so glad at the luck that there was a reporter and film crew on board to show what was happening (from the perspective of a US ship).

[Josquius]

Strange that the UK is the one denying it and Russia saying it happened.

[The Brain]

So did the Russians say "Royal Navy"?

[Sheilbh]

Strange that the UK is the one denying it and Russia saying it happened.

The Russians are saying they fired and dropped bombs into the path of the of the ship. They didn't.

The UK are saying it was just part of notified Russian training operations. It wasn't.

They're both lying

[Admiral Yi]

Diplomacy!

[The Brain]

Gunboat, no less.

[Sheilbh]

The BBC report prompting the thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLPYAKL-f2M

[Richard Hakluyt]

Interestingly in addition to the BBC journalist there was a Daily Mail reporter on board the British destroyer https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-57590098 .

Happenchance or by design  ? It is surely not usual for a random British destroyer to carry journalists unless a show is being planned.

[Josquius]

I look forward to reading the daily mails version of events where the brave British sailors fight off the villainous cossack boarding party.

[Sheilbh]

Happenchance or by design  ? It is surely not usual for a random British destroyer to carry journalists unless a show is being planned.

So we signed an agreement with Ukraine to help upgrade their navy and the ceremony was on board the HMS Defender. It's then sailing to Georgia and, I assume, staying in the Black Sea as the British participant in the international Exercise Sea Breeze (a NATO/PFP training exercise that's been run annually in the Black Sea for about 20 years).

The BBC reported that the approval to take a route that would go near Crimea on the way to Georgia was approved "at the highest levels" of U.K. government. So my guess is they invited press for the signing and for reports on using (still) internationally acknowledged Ukrainian waters. I doubt the Russians were aware.

Separately there is a lot of weird disinformation about the Black Sea, so that website that maps were ships are was hacked last week and the Defender and another British ship were shown in waters round Crimea while they were docked in Odessa. As mentioned on the BBC report it feels like this whole issue and relationship is as much about information as anything else.

Edit: What I don't get is why the MoD spin was bullshit when there were at least two journalists on board to disprove their line. Just force of habit?

[Josquius]

The London Economic I saw is calling foul and saying its very 'lucky' with a by-election coming. There was similar boaty business with Hartlepool I think?

[Sheilbh]

Interesting piece from Mark Galleoti (Russian professor in UCL and in various foreign/defence policy think tanks) from 14 June about this planned route and saying to expect "military theatrics", including, perhaps, low flying jets buzzing the ship etc:
https://www.geostrategy.org.uk/britains-world/hms-defender-in-the-black-sea-what-to-expect-from-russia/

So all predictable and predicted and probably a bigger story because the Russian MoD yesterday released a statement (this was the first statement) announcing that they'd fired warning shots at the ship and dropped some bombs in its path. This is also possibly why there were journalists on board

[Legbiter]

So all predictable and predicted and probably a bigger story because the Russian MoD yesterday released a statement (this was the first statement) announcing that they'd fired warning shots at the ship and dropped some bombs in its path.

The Russian are embellishing at bit.

[Tamas]

So it seems the British story has changed a bit saying that Russian "artillery was fired in a safe distance" from the British ship ergo it was not a warning shot. "I don't consider it a warning shot because there was no risk of it hitting me" is quite different from "there was no warning shot" IMHO.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jun/24/british-warships-might-enter-crimean-waters-again-says-minister

[Syt]

Isn't the point of a warning shot to not hit?