The Russian Foreign Ministry submitted a note of protest to British Ambassador to Moscow Deborah Brunert after a British ship violated Russia’s state border in the Black Sea on Wednesday, according to Russia Today (RT).
In a statement, the Russian ministry said the British ship’s actions, in addition to being “provocative and dangerous”, constituted “a flagrant disregard for the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea”.
“Particular attention was paid to the fact that the full responsibility for the possible consequences will fall entirely on the British side in the event of further provocations of this kind,” he added.
RT details in its memo that the British destroyer HMD Defender went three kilometers into Russian waters near Crimea, which it abandoned after the Russian fleet opened its warning fire.
On Wednesday, the ministry said the ship initially warned against the use of weapons if Russian borders were violated, but “did not respond to this warning.”
A BBC journalist made a phone call on board the British ship and confirmed that despite warnings from Russia, HMS Defender continued to navigate its way through the territorial waters of Crimea – ‘we were less than 12 miles away and even saw the coast’ – before returning to International waters bound for Georgia.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured reporters Thursday that the HMS Defender was “absolutely right” in navigating the waters around Crimea, and that the route was “perfectly appropriate”.
“This is not my information, and I understand that the attack group was carried out in the expected manner across international waters and in accordance with the law,” the head of state said.
“Award-winning alcohol trailblazer. Hipster-friendly internetaholic. Twitter ninja. Infuriatingly humble beer lover. Pop culture nerd.”