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- Russian forces confronted a UK destroyer in the Black Sea Wednesday.
- Russia claims the Royal Navy’s HMS Defender entered its territorial waters.
- To drive away the ship, a Russian vessel fired warning ships while an attack aircraft dropped bombs.
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Russian forces had a showdown with the British Royal Navy near Crimea in the Black Sea on Wednesday, according to state media.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the destroyer HMS Defender sailed into Russian territorial waters in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, the ministry-run Zvezda TV reported. The defense ministry said the ship sailed as far as 3 kilometers into Russian waters.
It is unclear if the waters in question are recognized as Russian territorial waters. Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula seven years ago, but most countries do not recognize Russian claims to the area.
Russia said that the destroyer was warned that its forces would use weapons if it crossed into Russian waters, but the destroyer reportedly did not change course.
In response, an unidentified Russian warship fired warning shots, and a Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft dropped OFAB-250 high-explosive fragmentation bombs in the path of the Royal Navy destroyer.
Insider has reached out to the Royal Navy but did not immediately receive a response.
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