MOSCOW (Dispatches) - Russia has warned Britain that it would bomb British naval vessels in the Black Sea if there were any further provocative actions by the British navy off the coast of Russia-annexed Crimea.
Russia summoned the British ambassador in Moscow for a formal diplomatic scolding after the warship breached what the Kremlin says are its territorial.
In Moscow, Russia summoned Ambassador Deborah Bronnert for a reprimand over what it said were Britain’s “dangerous” action in the Black Sea - while foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused London of “barefaced lies”.
“We can appeal to common sense, demand respect for international law, and if that doesn’t work, we can bomb,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian news agencies.
Ryabkov, referring to Moscow’s version of events in which a Russian aircraft bombed the path of the British destroyer, said that in future bombs would be sent “not only in its path, but also on target.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says hostile actions by a British warship near Russian territorial waters could not have been carried out without the urging of the U.S.
Zakharova said the White House and the Pentagon had referred reporters to London to ask London about the warship incident in the Black Sea.
“Why so? The ship was still in the northwest part of the Black Sea waters in preparations for the Sea Breeze drills held under the U.S. command. American experts note that special ops unit of the U.S., the UK and Ukraine were engaged in trainings aboard the ship at the time of the incident. In these conditions, it is impossible that the ‘peaceful passage’ of the British destroyer was not agreed with the ‘big brother’,” she wrote on her Telegram channel.